Former referee Steve Conroy has revealed why he was allowed to take charge of a Celtic vs Rangers fixture, even though he grew up supporting the Hoops.
Conroy officiated the controversial 2010 Glasgow derby clash that saw Marc Antoine-Fortune’s header ruled out and Kyle Lafferty somehow not got sent off.
His appointment was just as debatable at the time and now Conroy has explained why and how he was allowed to take charge.
- READ MORE: Celtic’s ultimate goal vs Rangers: Comparing Henrik Larsson’s chip to Shunsuke Nakamura’s screamer
Has Celtic and Rangers’ rivalry changed?
Share your thoughts…
Why Steve Conroy was allowed to referee Celtic vs Rangers
Speaking about the famous game on the Let me be Frank podcast, Conroy explained how the situation was out of his hands and that he had no choice but to take charge of the game.
He said: “I’ve never [hidden my affection for Celtic]. I used to pretend that I was a Dumbarton supporter a way back, but people can’t take a joke.
“I got that game because it was unavoidable, they had to give me it. The way things worked out – this is my opinion based on nothing – was perfect for them [the SFA] because they didn’t give me another one after that.
“It was my first Celtic vs Rangers game. So I was running about daft, I was buzzing. When you see the incident happen, I should never have been in the position I was in. And it was only because I was right behind him. In a normal game, I’d have seen it side on.”
Steve Conroy stands by decision to disallow Antoine-Fortune goal
While Conroy has openly admitted to being wrong about not showing Lafferty a red card, he is quite the opposite about the goal he disallowed for his own team.
Antoine-Fortune’s header had put the Bhoys in front, only for the official to rule it out for an alleged foul on Allan McGregor.
Despite the fury from Celtic fans, Conroy still thinks he made the right call.
“I’ve watched it hundreds of times, and convinced I was right. This is the Celtic supporter. Absolutely convinced I was right,” he added.
“He didn’t hurt him. There was nothing in it. But when you watch it, he went to header it, missed it but caught McGregor’s arms. So McGregor’s arms crossed over.
“The goalie can’t catch the ball if you do that to their arms. The same as if you’re running forward and I clip you, you’re going down. It’s a foul. So utterly convinced it was a foul.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
