GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 17: Referee Matthew MacDermid during a Premier Sports Cup last sixteen match between Rangers and St Johnstone at Hampden Park, on August 17, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Matthew MacDermid will referee Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final between St Mirren and Celtic.
The Lanarkshire based official has had a nightmare season but is being fast tracked by Willie Collum.
On Saturday he was in the centre of the various controversies at the Hearts v Motherwell match.
After prompting by Steven McLean he went to the monitor to award a penalty against Stephen Welsh.
The correct decision should have been an indirect free kick to Motherwell due to the dangerous play of Pierre Landry Kabore.
Eight yards from goal and seated on the ground the Hearts forward headed the ball.
The Laws of the Game are clear. Either MacDermid doesn’t know the Laws of the Game or decided to impose his own interpretation.
MacDermid might be a rising star in Willie Collum’s Flying Circus but he won’t be anywhere near the World Cup Finals in the summer.
This is a clear penalty too, referee right in front of it, absolutely no excuse https://t.co/q1cgFTKKS0
— The Ref’s View (@TheRefsView) February 22, 2026
MacDermid’s last Celtic appearance was to referee the 2-1 defeat from Hibs in February.
With the match level at 1-1 he stepped up with the telling interventions.
CELTIC SUFFER MACDERMID
After a VAR review he sent off Auston Trusty following a clash with Kieran McGrath that was instigated by the Hibs midfielder.
Had MacDermid intervened the incident wouldn’t have accelerated. Trusty had suffered similar incidents earlier in the match with the officials not interested in taking action.
Play resumed with a corner to Celtic. When the ball came in Warren O’Hora, right in front of MacDermid, kept hold of Liam Scales shirt for an extended period.
After a brief VAR review play resumed with a goal kick to Hibs despite a Hibs player knocking the ball behind for another corner.
Fans in the stadium were informed that the Scales shirt pulling had been outside of the penalty box.
Celtic are up against all of this and more at Hampden.
Neil Lennon faces a tough task in Saturday’s semi-final against Falkirk. John Beaton will referee the match with Andrew Dallas and Greg Aitken on VAR duty. For good measure Douglas Ross be be one of the linesmen.
Clear Penalty but VAR comes up with this Lie “Incident outside the Box” when there’s NO Hibs players outside the box. pic.twitter.com/zH02N6TWA8
— James (@jay1888kay) February 22, 2026
Probably better than Cheatin Beatin, McLean, Dickinson, Nicholson etc…
But still not great though…
Dickinson might get The Glasgow Derby !