Despite coming in for fierce criticism after the last Glasgow derby in which Celtic came away valid 2-1 victors, Willie Collum is in the frame for the upcoming clash.
The Hoops are due to take on Rangers on the 6th of April, and the chief of referees in Scotland, Crawford Allan, has revealed that Collum could take charge of the match. He was on VAR in the previous derby, but he was handed some harsh condemnation after it.
Rangers were unhappy with the 45-year-old’s decision not to award them a penalty for Alistair Johnston’s handball, although as Brendan Rodgers and everyone involved with football sensibly knows, Abdallah Sima was offside in the build-up and a spot-kick shouldn’t have been in consideration.
The Ibrox club didn’t back down despite this, even bitterly calling for Collum not to be in charge of any of their games in future. That won’t be the case, and Allan revealed that he could well be in the middle for April’s derby.
As quoted by Football Scotland, Allan said: “Willie will be in the frame with every other referee for consideration for games, whether they be in the league, in the Cup or whatever.
“We’ll make that decision nearer the time.”
Regardless of who referees the next derby, Celtic taking three points from it is crucial. The Bhoys have an impeccable record against their city rivals this season, beating them 1-0 at Ibrox and 2-1 at Parkhead.
Keeping this intact between now and the end of the season will be crucial in what is set to be a tension-filled few months.
