Craig Thomson is hoping Artur Boruc will be on his best behaviour for Poland�s opening game of Euro 2008, after the Scottish referee was appointed fourth official for the match against Germany.

Craig Thomson is hoping Artur Boruc will be on his best behaviour for Poland's opening game of Euro 2008, after the Scottish referee was appointed fourth official for the Group B match against Germany.

Two of the three Old Firm derbies the 35-year-old has refereed ended with the Celtic goalkeeper courting controversy. Boruc responded to defeat at Ibrox in May 2007 by waving a "Champions" flag in front of the Rangers fans and again made headlines after the 3-2 victory at Celtic Park in April by revealing a t-shirt with the message God Bless the Pope and a picture of John Paul II.

For all that, Thomson enjoys a cordial relationship with the volatile Pole but the Paisley lawyer will be content with a stress-free start to his Euro 2008 responsibilities. "I do not have a problem with Artur but he has not made life easy for me," he said at the UEFA referee day in Regensdorf, Zurich. "It is ironic that I have refereed the two Old Firm games in which he caused a bit of a stir."

Of the t-shirt incident he said: "I do not think he was deliberately trying to antagonise the Rangers fans because he did not run towards them. At the same time, you are aware of the potential consequences if he does that."

Thomson remained unaware of the t-shirt and its implications until the post-match debriefing with the referees' observer and SPL delegate. "After an Old Firm game you are sort of relieved that a game is over and has gone well,"

he said. "It was only when I shook hands with him that I realised he had his shirt off but even then it did not automatically register. The potential consequences only really came to light when I went back to the dressing room to speak to the delegate and observer."

He may not have to face the music quite so much on Sunday, but the role of the fourth official, as he explained, carries greater responsibilities than merely displaying time added on. Indeed, for these championships, a fifth official will undertake the administrative chores of substitution paperwork to enable the fourth official to be more hands-on.

"Being a fourth official means I will not get a long lie," he said. "I am the first point of contact for the teams."

New guidelines were laid down yesterday in a 10-point plan but the human element of refereeing was reinforced by UEFA's technical director, Andy Roxburgh, at a special meeting. "He told us not to be like schoolkids at the technical area; to allow the coaches to coach and understand their passion," said Thomson.

UEFA's team were yesterday the centre of attention at the Sportanlage Wisacher, in the scenic yet sedate suburb of Regensdorf, their every move on the training field watched by a battery of photographers, a gaggle of cameramen and a wall of journalists.

It was the referees' first collective taste of celebrity, though some of Europe's most established officials have been proactive in cultivating sizeable egos on their travels.

Youngsters gazed nosily as the fluorescent-clad grown-ups stood to attention like children being shown-off at the school gala day, before undertaking a two hour public show of competence.

In the midst of the chaos, Thomson took a photo of Howard Webb and his English assistants for posterity. Scotland's sole representative at the tournament has taken little time to mingle. He won't be at the heart of the action this month, but hopes it will be a significant step towards refereeing at the World Cup in 2010.

"This is probably the highest point I could get to at this stage of my career and the next step is the World Cup," he said. "It is difficult, with only 10 European referees likely to be chosen, but I have made the provisional list of 54 and it is a motivation to keep improving."