Celtic F.C

Celtic and Rangers referee selections for opening weekend confirmed against Kilmarnock and Hearts

Published

7 months ago

July 31, 2024

Celtic and Rangers are both preparing for the upcoming Scottish Premiership season.

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The Scottish FA has announced the referee selections for the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season. The Premiership’s opening round of fixtures begins next Saturday.

Celtic won the title last season and will look to repeat their success in the coming season. Rangers, on the other hand, will want to have something to say about it as they prepare for the new season with Philippe Clement.

Here is a look at who will officiate the Glasgow pair’s first match…

Rangers

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Rangers travel to Tynecastle Park to face Hearts on Saturday, August 3rd. Steven Naismith’s team finished third in the table in 2023/24.

The game starts at 12:30pm and is broadcast live on Sky Sports. Nick Walsh has been named as the man in the middle, with Frank Connor and Calum Spence as his assistants.

The fourth official is Iain Snedden. Meanwhile, Andrew Dallas and Sean Carr are handling VAR duties.

Walsh, 33, oversaw his first game in 2013, a League Two clash between Clyde and Queen’s Park, and also works for FIFA. He has been with the Scottish FA since then, and in 2022, he refereed the second-ever Scottish VAR match between Celtic and Hearts.

Celtic

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Celtic will face Kilmarnock at Celtic Park on Sunday, August 4th. Their match starts at 16:30pm and will also be broadcast on Sky Sports.

Don Robertson has been appointed as referee, with David Roome and Craig Ferguson serving as his assistants. Grant Irvine is the fourth official, while Greg Aitken and Jonathan Bell are on VAR.

Robertson, 37, debuted in 2011 and has since made 268 appearances. In addition to the Premiership, he has refereed in the Europa League, Europa Conference League, and Euro qualifiers.

Brendan Rodgers criticised him in March following Celtic’s 2-0 away loss to Hearts. He said after the game: “I spoke to him (Don Robertson) in the tunnel just briefly, but it’s a waste of time if I’m honest. There is no change and I also think as well that VAR is not the problem here. That’s clear. It’s incompetence.

“I think the first one is a great example of the game being refereed outside of the pitch. This is the thing everyone is talking about, that the officials do their job and if it’s something that’s clear and obvious maybe step in. The referee made the decision and someone outside made another decision to say it was a sending-off. So that’s the game being refereed outside of the field and in big games that costs you.”