Celtic will have referee John Beaton in charge of their game on the weekend at Parkhead as they look to all but confirm the title.
However, presenter Hamish Carton has questioned the decision to put Beaton in charge of the latest derby clash.
Should Beaton be officiating on Sunday?
Yes
No
Speaking on the 67 Hail Hail YouTube channel, Carton slammed Beaton’s recent performances with his last outing coming in the Scottish Championship in the clash between Kilmarnock and Arbroath.
The game in the second-tier on Friday night saw Beaton hand out five yellow cards in 2-1 victory for Killie at Rugby Park as the pair battled it out in similar circumstances to the Glasgow clubs at the top of the league.
On the back of the 40-year-old display on Friday night and his history of officiating the derby clash in Glasgow, Carton was not exactly pleased to hear of Beaton’s appointment:
(4:00) “The referee for Sunday has also been announced and this has got people talking as well. It will be John Beaton in charge of the game. He’ll be assisted by Frank Connor and Graeme Stewart with Don Robertson on fourth official duty.
“A very interesting choice, it’s fair to say. I watched Beaton’s last outing, Friday night Arbroath against Kilmarnock or the other way around at Rugby Park. And I don’t think Beaton had a good game at all.
“So it seems strange to me that after having a pretty poor game, and what was you know, a high-pressure match, he would then get an even bigger match this weekend for the derby at Celtic Park.
“You kind of wonder sometimes with the SFA appointments, whether they actually do factor in recent performances and reward referees who have done well and perhaps punish referees who haven’t done as well?”
“Of course, he does have previous inspection as well. And more notably after these fixtures in the evening.”
TIF Thoughts on Carton’s comments…
It was always going to be a difficult decision for the SFA to make after Bobby Madden’s performance in the cup clash the other week came under scrutiny from many.
Perhaps attention should turn to getting their revenge on their city rivals on the weekend after Rangers prevailed in the cup semi-final at Hampden Park.
And there would be no sweeter revenge than three points on Sunday which would all but confirm Celtic as the Scottish champions for the 2021/22 campaign.
In other news: Secret weapon: Celtic supporters surely excited as footage emerges – opinion