The SFA have reunited the Andy Halliday and Bobby Madden partnership for the weekend fixtures with the East Kilbride referee in charge at Tynecastle for the visit of Aberdeen.
It will be Madden’s second SPFL Premiership fixture of the season with both of them at Tynecastle.
Celtic fans were furious, but not remotely surprised by his performance refereeing the opening match of the season with the most blatant honest mistake being a brutal second half attack on Callum McGregor’ heel by Halliday.
No card was shown by Madden who is a regular guest of the Open Goal podcast alongside Halliday as they both attempt to come over as all-round good guys as they share banter and funny stories.
Andy Halliday & Bobby Madden #pals pic.twitter.com/CNCQf91wwF
— We Won It First ?? (@liamt67) July 31, 2021
“It sums up some of the mentalists these days.”
Hearts star Andy Halliday rubbishes all the Bobby Madden conspiracy theories and says no malice in Callum McGregor tacklehttps://t.co/lqwVOARuPD pic.twitter.com/rgfP6AOHDy
— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) August 4, 2021
Aberdeen are bound to be concerned by the appointment of a referee on very friendly terms with one of their opponents.
Scotland has seven referees on the FIFA list that tend to get most of the Premiership fixtures, it seems very strange that Madden gets back-to-back Tynecastle fixtures, especially when his mate Halliday is involved.
On Sunday Robbie Neilson hooked the former Bradford utility man off after 45 minutes against Celtic after less than 10 touches of the ball.
The other referees on the FIFA list are John Beaton, Kevin Clancy, Wille Collum, David Munro, Don Robertson and Nick Walsh.
Last season the SFA withdrew Madden at short notice from a Ross County v Celtic match after he refused to self-isolate after fellow official David Roome tested positive during a jolly to Greece.
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