No more Bobby Madden for Celtic as he quits Scottish football for England

By Lewis Laird

June 17, 2022

It has been confirmed this afternoon that Scottish Football referee Bobby Madden will be moving to the English football system from next season.

The 43-year-old has been a regular feature amongst referees in this country, taking charge of over 1000 games.

During his 12 years as a referee, he has been the man in the middle for many Celtic games, including the Glasgow derby fixtures and several cup semis and finals.

However, his time as a referee within the Scottish system is over.

As confirmed by the PGMOL, Madden has taken the decision to quit Scottish Football and will now join the England system going into next season.

That will see Madden take charge of English League One and League Two fixtures for the 2022/23 campaign, and he will hope to work his way up the English Football pyramid.

Many Scottish Football fans have already welcomed this decision on social media, with sides from across the country being on the end of mistakes from the experienced referee.

An example of this for the Hoops came last season when Madden failed to book Rangers midfielder John Lundstrum despite the constant fouling of Ange Postecoglou’s side in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.

Other SPFL sides, such as St Johnstone, were also left aggrieved with his performance towards the end of last season. [Daily Record]

Last season, Madden took charge in seven games which involved Ange Postecoglou’s side, including the emphatic 3-0 win over Glasgow rivals Rangers and the 1-0 win against Hearts in December.

Clubs and supporters alike will be hoping for a much higher standard from officials next campaign, with the arrival of VAR expected to be in place halfway through the 2022/23 season.

But, going into next season, Celtic supporters won’t need to worry about Madden being the man in the middle for any more games.

In other news, Released Celtic player “over the moon” as he signs for English side.