SFA president George Peat has come under fire from the clubs

Scottish FA president George Peat should resign over the escalating row over youth football, according to Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston.

The Pars, Ross County and Dundee are upset after their clubs were axed from youth football's top flight.

Yorkston claims that Peat's comments on the matter "went over the limits of acceptable behaviour".

But the SFA, which expelled the clubs over registration and coaching issues, said it considered the matter closed.

Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor is to meet Scotland's first minister on Monday to discuss his club's expulsion.

McGregor will ask Alex Salmond for his views on the SFA's decision to remove County, Dunfermline and Dundee's youth sides from the league.

The clubs have lobbied their MSPs and a motion has been raised at Holyrood.

County and the Pars failed to meet a SFA rule asking that staff disclosure forms, relating to child protection, be renewed every three years.

In his comments to the press about the decision to expel the clubs, Mr Peat went over the limits of acceptable behaviour Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston

Dundee were also refused entry because they did not have a second youth licence holder because of a member of their coaching staff moving to a new job.

Peat chaired the committee that decided to demote the clubs - a move that will cost them about �30,000 in grants.

The SFA president was quoted in The Herald newspaper as saying: "They can talk to the sports minister, the first minister or the prime minister, the decision will not change, otherwise we would be as well tearing up the rules.''

Yorkston told BBC Sport: ''In his comments to the press about the decision to expel the clubs, Mr Peat went over the limits of acceptable behaviour."

However, the SFA said in a statement that the process had not been handled any differently from previous years.

"When you join any league or competition you agree to abide by its rules and meet any criteria for membership," it said.

"If you fail to do so then you face sanctions. This is exactly what happened in this instance.

"The clubs were audited and found to have failings in the two areas that we view as red card issues - child protection and the provision of coaches.''

"They have had the right of appeal and this appeal was unsuccessful. We consider this matter closed."

The three clubs have accused the SFA of using administrative errors to throw them clubs outwith the Scottish Premier League out of the league.

But the SFA added: "This evidence was presented to the Professional Football Committee by the auditors in such a way that the members had no idea which clubs they were dealing with.

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"They made their decision based on the evidence that was presented to them by the auditors and subsequently chose to demote the clubs from the Performance Level."

The SFA is also facing accusations of double standards after admitting that many of its referees are not vetted under the child protection legislation that applies when working with anyone up to the age of 18.

The association says its advice is to have new referees vetted but that it is not mandatory.

And one senior referee told BBC Scotland that he felt it was ludicrous to have referees going into changing-rooms of under-10 sides to check boots and yet not having to meet disclosure check.

But the SFA stressed: "When making a decision on child protection policy, we will always take the advice of people who work in this area.

"The child protection specialists who advise the Scottish FA told us what kind of policy we should have for referees - and that is exactly what we implemented."