Nick Walsh has been appointed referee for Celtic’s trip to Ibrox to face Rangers on Sunday afternoon, with Andrew Dallas on VAR duties at Clydesdale House.
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports, while international Celtic TV subscribers can also watch live coverage.
Walsh will be joined on the pitch by linesmen Frank Connor and Dougie Potter, while Andrew McWilliam will act as AVAR alongside Dallas. [SFA]
Walsh previously took charge of Celtic’s match against Dundee United at Celtic Park on February 15th, a game the Hoops won comfortably 3-0. However, one moment in the match drew large criticism.
Midway through the game, Celtic broke through United’s press with Callum McGregor leading a four-on-three counterattack. Just as the move was developing into a dangerous situation, Walsh halted play to award a free kick for a foul on Luke McCowan.
Nick Walsh pulling back play and refusing to play advantage with Celtic through on goal. Poor officiating. pic.twitter.com/oJdz6wtzJU
— Celts Are Here News Feed (@CeltsAreHere) February 16, 2025
It was a baffling decision—there was no need to stop the game, as the advantage clearly favoured Celtic. The booking could have been issued afterward, allowing play to continue and the attacking momentum to build.
Instead, the whistle gave Dundee United a break, allowing them to get back into position and avoid a likely chance for Celtic to score.
It will be interesting to see how Walsh gets on at Ibrox, and hopefully he has a good game where he isn’t remembered — because there’s nothing worse in Glasgow Derbies than when referees become the main talking point.
For Celtic, there’s still plenty to play for on Sunday. They may have already wrapped up the league title with four games to spare last weekend against Dundee United, but having lost the last two Glasgow Derbies, they’ll be determined to finish the final Derby of the season on a high. And it wouldn’t be any sweeter than doing it in front of a packed Ibrox — having the final say in the Derby until the beginning of next season.
