The message has gone out from Ibrox that the SFA have been told not to appoint Willie Collum for any future matches involving their club.
Following a meeting with SFA officials over the offside incident involving Abdallah Sima against Celtic the club briefed their favoured media contacts, covering legacy media titles and the extremist elements among their own fan/paranoid media.
The un-named club spokesman was happy to be quoted claiming that there was a consensus at the meeting that the handball decision was wrong alongside a request for the audio to be made public.
Alongside that the messengers have been informed that Collum isn’t expected to be involved in any future matches involving the 2012 Tribute Act.
Typical of the coverage the Daily Mail reports:
RANGERS have asked the Scottish FA for Willie Collum to be excluded from involvement in any of their future games.
Members of the Ibrox hierarchy yesterday met with their Hampden counterparts to discuss the background to how VAR official Collum dealt with a potential handball by Celtic’s Alistair Johnston in last weekend’s Old Firm match.
A Rangers spokesperson later revealed the club had made a ‘number of specific requests that it hopes the Scottish FA will respond to in order to improve matters going forward’.
It’s understood one of those requests is that Collum is no longer considered for officiating at their matches.
Rangers also claimed there had been an ‘over-riding consensus’ at the meeting that Collum had got it wrong in not flagging up a handball by Johnston.
The SFA have previously backed down to the howls of the Ibrox club over Collum after Alfredo Morelos was sent off against St Mirren on 3 November 2018.
Collum had to wait until the final match of that season, away to Kilmarnock on May 19 in a dead rubber before he refereed another fixture involving Steven Gerrard’s club.
Between those two matches Collum refereed European matches involving Juventus, Inter Milan, Valencia (twice), Galatasaray and Paris Saint Germain.
Steven McLean, Alan Muir, David Dickinson or Don Robertson are expected to referee the first post winter break fixture- away to Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup on January 20.
No statements have been issued about Andrew Dallas’ performance in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock on Tuesday.
? “Penalty Rangers”
Celtic chief Michael Nicholson’s cutting reply when quizzed on referees and VAR at AGMhttps://t.co/6vJYJ8p66Ihttps://t.co/6vJYJ8p66I
— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) November 22, 2023
here’s Willie Collum giving Rangers a dodgy looking penalty v Killie at Ibrox late last season. Willie also once gave Rangers a penalty that he “heard” but didn’t see. he was fine back then but not now apparently. https://t.co/GQz7PeSROY
— SPFL Banter ??????? (@splbanter) January 3, 2024
Oh! Come on Dumbarton, do a ‘Berwick’ on that scum!
Poor Dumbarton (where I had great times with two ex girlfriends at different times of course) – Having to suffer that mob polluting their streets…
Thankfully I think there are far more Celtic fans there –
But for everyone having to suffer them there will be insufferable indeed !
In any honest sport, officiated by honest officials,
the automatic, expected response to a competitor ‘demanding’
an official to be excluded, would be a fine / ban for the competitor themself,
OR the officials come out in strike at the exclusion.
But, our dodgy members of The Scottish Referees’ Association looked
the other way a few years ago, when sevco – publicly – demanded Clancy’s
exclusion. sevco was not punished either.
Presumably, Collum will get no support now and the SFA will roll over again?
Ergo, one SPL team can effectively choose who is allowed to referee its games?!
If you weren’t already convinced that Scottish footy was as bent as a £3 note…. 🙁
Name me one just one football association football league referree association anywhere just ONE where this would be allowed to happen without any consequence except for offering up a scapegoat even by his colleaugues.
A nod to rabbi hillel. ” first they came for willie and i said nothing”
Their Hampden Counterparts”.
That’s a good one!
“One Of Those Requests Is That Collum Is No Longer Considered For Officiating At Their Matches”.
Boy, they really know how to surpass themselves, don’t they?
And
“That Collum Had Got It Wrong In Not Flagging Up A Handball By Johnston.”
when in fact he got it right!
What is it with Fud?