The SFA has announced their match officials for Sunday’s Glasgow Derby, highlighting the shallow talent pool and geographical area that they select from.
Refereeing the fixture for the third time in Steven McLean, the older brother of former Rangers starlet Brian McLean.
Additionally McLean junior played two u-21 matches for Northern Ireland before discovering that he was ineligible since he was 100% Scottish.
We are fast approaching the 10th anniversary of the Josh Meekings handball in the Scottish Cup semi between Celtic and Inverness Caley Thistle.
Steven McLean was rewarded for that decision by taking charge of the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, later that year he was in charge of the Glasgow Derby for the first time with Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair giving the visitors the points
On VAR duty John Beaton requires little introduction, he has refereed the Glasgow Derby three times in the last calendar year.
Last March Brendan Rodgers described the Lanarkshire based official as incompetent following his performance on VAR in a 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle, Celtic’s only domestic defeat in 2024.
Graeme Stewart is one of the top rated assistant referees on the circuit, he used to be a Police Officer but resigned in a hurry.
In March 2017 The Sun reported:
A THUG cop who throttled a handcuffed suspect has quit the force — but will continue to run the line as a top-flight footie match official.
Disgraced PC Graeme Stewart, 31, resigned before he could be carpeted by bosses over the attack on Charles O’Donnell.
A police disciplinary probe was under way after he was fined £500 for assault.
Now SFA chiefs have ruled Stewart — who was on a Fifa elite roster — can keep his assistant referee job. A source said yesterday: “Stewart knew he faced the boot — he went before he was pushed. A moment of madness cost him his career.
“The SFA must have decided his crime conviction had nothing to do with his football role.”
Last night a Police Scotland spokesman said: “He is no longer a serving officer.”
It wasn’t a moment of madness, it doesn’t take too much detective work to put together the background of the person assaulted by the SFA assistant referee.
Stewart is a regular at top Scottish matches and also included in the UEFA trips to Conference League and Europa League matches with their generous payments and expenses.
In February 2021 he was with David Roome and Bobby Madden at a fixture in Greece, on his return he was ordered to isolate but turned up at a match between Hibs and Kilmarnock putting players and Hibs employees at risk in order to pick up his £450 match fee.
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And to think that they say
“We Are Not Animals!”
Whot in the fock are they then!?
“The SFA must’ve decided his crime conviction (assault) had nothing to do with his football role”
Aye well then – ‘nuff said I guess –
Maxwell is the type that would happily have the likes of Lucy Letby running the lines in Scottish Football…
Or even being his secretary –
He would see her or her type as being a ‘fit and proper person’
That’s the guy that runs Scottish Football for you !!!
Just get at them early, they’re PISH! Get them ANNHIALATED!!