If there’s a significant furore around refereeing and the Scottish FA in the wake of the upcoming Celtic and Rangers derby, then the Hampden association only have themselves to blame.
They’ve made a rod for their own backs by putting one of the most scrutinised officials in the spotlight for the title race clash, in what has been described as a “powerplay” after recent Celtic criticisms.
John Beaton is the man in the middle for the Ibrox match on Sunday, appointed just weeks after he was called out by manager Brendan Rodgers for a terrible utilisation of VAR technology against Hearts at Tynecastle.
The SFA subsequently dished out a touchline ban to the Celtic boss and have now rewarded Beaton with this most high-profile and important game of the Scottish Premiership season so far. That’s despite big decisions by Beaton in other games also coming under scrutiny recently.
Pundit Chris Sutton reckons they are now playing with fire and have made a big blunder by appointing the referee to the fixture.
Chris Sutton on John Beaton role in Celtic and Rangers derby
The former Bhoys striker said [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 story on Monday morning. Nobody. The best-case scenario here is that the referee has a fairly anonymous 90 minutes in charge.
VAR has become a tiresome sideshow at all levels of football. In Scotland, the roll-out has been a massive frustration for players, managers and supporters.
The Scottish FA aren’t helping themselves in this situation though. Despite their promised review of the refereeing department in the wake of Crawford Allan’s departure, it seems they’re still defensive enough to want to play games with their appointments.