Pundit Paul John Dykes has recently raised some concerns about refereeing ahead of the upcoming Old Firm derby.
Dykes was hosting the latest episode of the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast and he spoke about multiple issues involving the Bhoys. He talked about the officiating from the referees and he even raised concerns about the issue ahead of the Old Firm derby.
Dykes feels that the referee’s performance will be a bigger concern than the performance of the Gers players.
John Beaton is set to referee the Old Firm derby and he will be assisted by Graeme Stewart and David Roome. Don Robertson will be the fourth official.
Back in December 2018, Beaton had failed to punish Alfredo Morelos for a stamp on Anthony Ralson and for a kick at Scott Brown. He had become the centre of controversy after the game (as per the Scottish Sun).
Should John Beaton get removed from officiating duties of the Old Firm?
Yes
No
Dykes expressed his opinion about this appointment and he expressed his disappointment at the standard of refereeing in general.
He said: “John Beaton is taking charge of the Celtic-Rangers game and that’s on the back of, obviously, the infamous appearance of Beaton after a Rangers victory at Ibrox – Beaton appears in a Rangers boozer getting selfies and obviously, quite happy with the result.
“However, even despite that, he is going to be the man with the whistle, in charge of the game. That’s a bigger concern for me than any of the Rangers players, to be honest with you.
“I’ve already spoken out against some of the standards of refereeing so far this season. The games, in particular, for Celtic have been against Dundee United – it was a shocking performance by the ref, which resulted, an actual fact, in Edouard being injured.
“Of course, Edouard missed the European game as a result of being kicked all over Tannadice.”
TIF Thoughts on John Beaton appointment for Old Firm clash…
The Celtic Supporters Association have already written an open letter to the SFA, criticising their decision to appoint Beaton as the referee for the Old Firm.
So, there is clearly some disappointment amongst Celtic fans because of Beaton’s appointment and Dykes echoes the same sort of feelings.
After the game in which he had failed to send Morelos off, photos had emerged of Beaton at a Gers pub and this led to further questions about the referee’s decision-making.
So, clearly, it is understandable why Celtic fans don’t like the idea of Beaton officiating the game. They can only hope that the open letter makes some sort of impact in this regard.