Referee handed Celtic vs Livingston despite manager meltdown last time

By Dave Flanigan

September 8, 2022

Kevin Clancy has been allocated to referee Celtic’s home game with Livingston on Saturday, despite his last display in a Hoops fixture causing controversy with the opposition manager.

Clancy refereed Celtic’s 2-0 win over Hearts last month and gave second bookings to Alex Cochrane and Tony Sibbick for cynical challenges in the dying minutes of the game, leading to the Jambos manager Robbie Neilson suggesting that the referee was swayed by the home crowd.

Despite Neilson’s consternation, Clancy’s red card calls were backed by former referee Dermot Gallagher, and it appeared to everyone barring the Hearts gaffer that both challenges merited second yellows.

The whistler will be joined on Saturday by assistant referees Dougie Potter and Colin Drummond, with Barry Cook as the fourth official.

The 38 year old has already refereed a number of Scottish Premiership games this season, including Ross County and Aberdeen’s 1-1 draw in Dingwall on Saturday, and Rangers’ 2-0 win over Kilmarnock last month.

Clancy also refereed a number of Celtic games last season, with victories over Ross County and Aberdeen, draws with Dundee United and Hibs, and the Hoops’ defeat at Ibrox in the first Glasgow derby of the last campaign.

VAR is, of course, not yet introduced in Scottish football and is scheduled to be in place after the World Cup with trials currently taking place, a decision which has led to much derision and criticism of the SFA in recent months.

Here’s hoping that it’s a quiet affair for Clancy on Saturday, and that the post-match discussion is about the football rather than refereeing decisions, as is so often the case in Scotland.

In other news: Guillem Balague left impressed by one Celtic hero vs Real Madrid as he meets the parents