Collum gets European Championship appointment but still no sign of a Hearts match

Willie Collum is going to France- but not Tynecastle!

On Tuesday the Lanarkshire whistler was announced as one of the referees to take part in next summer’s European Championships.

Despite being highly rated by UEFA it seems that the SFA are reluctant to give Collum a match involving Hearts.

Following their 3-2 defeat by Hamilton in August Robbie Neilson claimed that his side had prepared for playing with 10 men once Collum was announced as the match official.

After the match he explained: “This game, with the officials we were getting, we knew there was a high probability of a man being sent off and it’s happened again. We tried to train with 10 men but we didn’t get our gameplan going as when it happened, with who came off, it made it difficult for us.”

Callum Paterson was sent off in the match, a decision which was overturned to a yellow card on appeal, with Neilson given a two match touchline ban suspended for a year.

Since the match at New Douglas Park Collum has refereed 12 SPFL matches- 10 in the Premiership- none of them involving Hearts.

Collum has refereed Premiership matches involving every club except Hearts, Dundee United and Motherwell. Last month he did referee the Dundee United in the League Cup tie against Hibs.

The longer that Collum is kept away from a Hearts fixture the more the spotlight will be on him when he does take charge of a game involving Neilson’s side.

A similar situation could have developed with Steven McLean refereeing Celtic matches following last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness Caley Thistle.

With the focus on the referee McLean took charge of Celtic’s match against Dundee on September 20 and two weeks later against Hamilton at New Douglas Park.

This weekend Collum will referee the Falkirk v Sevco Championship match, Bobby Madden has the Celtic v Motherwell match with Kevin Clany in charge of St Johnstone v Hearts.