John Beaton’s decision-making has come under scrutiny again just days before the referee takes charge of this weekend’s huge Celtic vs Rangers game.
Beaton was the man in the spotlight when Celtic were defeated by Hearts in the Scottish Premiership last month, with Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers taking specific issue with his work on VAR duties that day.
Rodgers was subsequently hauled in front of the Scottish FA and received a touchline ban, but the Celtic boss was clear that he had no regrets about calling out under-par refereeing in the quest to increase Scottish football standards.
That didn’t stop the SFA from appointing Beaton for this crucial title-race derby at the weekend, validating his work by handing him the biggest game of the Scottish Premiership season so far.
Beaton was on duty during the Inverness Caledonian Thistle match away to Partick Thistle on Saturday, sending off Cammy Kerr with two yellow cards, one of which was for simulation.
John Beaton decisions under more scrutiny ahead of Celtic derby
However, that has now been overturned after Caley appealed to Hampden officials.
They said in a statement on Thursday: “The club is pleased to announce that following our appeal to the SFA Fast Track Tribunal, the red card given to Cammy Kerr by referee John Beaton has been rescinded along with the yellow card he received for simulation. Cammy is now available for selection this Saturday.”
The decision to give Beaton a game of this magnitude at the weekend, with so much drama around his recent performances, is a curious one.
Beaton has taken charge of the derby on five previous occasions so he does have the experience but it’s fair to say there’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders for this one.
Everyone would prefer that the referee is not a factor in the outcome of an already high-stakes derby but Celtic didn’t raise issues for no reason. The SFA will be hoping Beaton has a good afternoon or the criticism of their processes will only ramp up.