If there is a major outcry over refereeing and the Scottish FA following the forthcoming Celtic-Rangers match, the Hampden association can only blame itself.
They’ve made a rod for their own back by putting one of the most scrutinized officials in the spotlight for the title race encounter, which has been dubbed as a “powerplay” in light of recent Celtic criticism.
John Beaton will start at Ibrox on Sunday, just weeks after manager Brendan Rodgers criticised him for a poor use of VAR technology against Hearts at Tynecastle.
The SFA then issued a touchline ban to the Celtic manager, and Beaton is now rewarded with this most high-profile and critical game of the Scottish Premiership season thus far. This is despite the fact that Beaton’s actions in prior games have recently come under fire.
According to pundit Chris Sutton, they are now playing with fire and made a huge mistake in picking the referee for the game.
Chris Sutton on John Beaton role in Celtic and Rangers derby
The former Bhoys striker stated on [Daily Record]: “It seems to me that, after recent goings-on, this an attempt from the SFA to show they will not be dictated to or influenced when it comes to match officials. It’s a powerplay from the top brass and, in some respects, I get that. I also think that is a reasonable enough approach in a general sense.
“But for this weekend? This game? This ref? I don’t think that was clever or wise. Look at the reaction since. It’s blown up already and we’re days away from the game actually kicking off.
“You’ve got two sets of supporters now feeling as if they are going to be hard done-by or feeling uneasy about it. Some Celtic fans think Beaton is going to give Rangers every decision. Some Rangers fans think he’s going to give everything to Celtic because of the bashing he got from Rodgers.
“I’m not suggesting for a second that the SFA should, in the majority of cases, appoint referees on the basis of fans either being happy or losing their heads. But, on this one occasion, given there is enough tension in the air for these games, would it not have been better just to pick someone else? It seemed a needless decision and it’s like putting petrol onto flames.
“Beaton cannot do anything wrong on Sunday now. It’s as simple as that. Everyone is going to be on his case, watching his every move, his every decision, his every movement. I’ve not done it myself, obviously. But I can only imagine how tough and stressful it is to referee an Old Firm match at the best of times. Goodness knows what it is going to be like for Beaton on Sunday and I don’t think this is a situation in which he needed to be placed by the SFA.”
The best-case outcome of John Beaton furore
Nobody wants Beaton to be the top story on Monday morning. Nobody. The best-case scenario is for the referee to be in charge for 90 minutes while remaining relatively unknown.
VAR has become a tedious sideshow at all levels of sport. Players, managers, and supporters in Scotland have been extremely frustrated by the roll-out.
However, the Scottish FA is not helping itself in this predicament. Despite their vow to conduct a review of the refereeing department following Crawford Allan’s resignation, it appears that they are still defensive enough to play games with their appointments.
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