ALAN McRAE, president of the Scottish Football Association, is involved in discussions with broadcasting company, Sky Sports, over changing the format of the draw for the William Hill Scottish Cup.
McRae was at the centre of hugely embarrassing scenes on Monday evening when forced to order a re-run of the draw for the quarter-finals of the competition on live television after the plastic ball containing Morton’s name burst open in the pot.
He spent yesterday in discussions with Sky and his colleagues at the SFA over alternative procedures with Morton manager, Jim Duffy, stating that the safest option would be a return to numbered balls that have a pre-assigned team.
“Of course I’ve been embarrassed by it,” said McRae. “It, unfortunately, reflects on us all. Everyone involved is mortified, but we have to make sure we don’t ever go through this experience again.
“Because of the balls involved, there’s always a worry that something like this can happen.
“For the two preliminary ties and the first three rounds the draw involves numbered balls. Thereafter, it’s balls with paper within them to accommodate television and to heighten the impact of the draw.
“We’ve got to look at the type of balls we’ve been using, given what’s happened. Either we upgrade the balls or we go back to the balls with numbers on them.”
Celtic were drawn to face Dundee United at Tannadice before the mishap and will now play host to Morton.
"I think it’s simple,” said Duffy. “Change it to numbers that correlate to teams like they do in the FA Cup down south.
"When you twist these balls, they can become difficult to open. It would be a lot easier with numbers.
"I had no idea it was Morton’s name that had come out of one of the balls."
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