THE DOUBLE LIFE OF DOUGLAS ROSS
“THE ELECTION RESULT WAS ON FRIDAY, THEN I DID A GAME IN SAUDI ARABIA ON SATURDAY”
Douglas Ross is willing to admit when he has made a blunder, but this is one he is secretly rather pleased with – or at least should be, anyway.
FourFourTwo has asked the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party to show us a treasured picture that adorns his office wall at Westminster – a memento for visitors to admire. It’s not a cherished family photo; nor does it depict a political triumph. Instead, it’s something unique: a comically oversized canvas of Ross with Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou, before the Flea hit his 100th European goal against Olympiacos in 2017. For, while Ross was elevated to his current position in August and has been representing his home constituency of Moray in various capacities since 2007, by night he takes great pride in another role: as a FIFA and UEFA-accredited specialist assistant referee. And he’s got the massive picture of Messi to prove it.
“After that game, [fellow assistant] Frankie Connor looked at me, shaking his head,” says Ross. “He said, ‘You won’t believe the superb picture there is of you and Messi – you’ve got to get this made as the biggest canvas you can’. When I moved offices in the House of Commons after becoming leader, I thought, ‘It’s finally time to
