John Beaton has been appointed as the referee for this weekend’s clash between Celtic and Motherwell at Parkhead.
As both sides prepare to return to domestic action following the international break, the SFA have confirmed who will be the man in the middle this weekend.
The 40-year-old will be joined by assistant referees Dougie Potter and John McCrossan, as well as fourth official Duncan Williams.
Beaton is seen as one of the top officials in the country and has been involved in eight fixtures this season, including the 1-1 Edinburgh derby draw at Easter Road in August and a UEFA Champions League qualifier between Vikingur and Malmo.
However, Saturday’s match-up between the Hoops and the Fir Park side will be the referee’s first game officiating Ange Postecoglou’s side this season.
The whistler took charge of some high-profile Celtic games last season, such as the Hoops Premier Sports cup victory over Hibernian and the final Glasgow Derby outing of the 2021/22 campaign.
Beaton was also the man in the middle for a fixture between both Celtic and Motherwell at Fir Park earlier in 2022, as the Bhoys ran out 4-0 winners.
Although the Hoops were undefeated in matches the experienced referee was in charge of, there was still a fair share of talking points from some of the matches he officiated.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will be hoping there is no further talking points surrounding the referee’s performance this weekend as his side looks to get back to winning ways.
All eyes on referees as Scotland’s introduction to VAR edges closer.
Despite Postecoglou’s wishes, as we know by now, there always seems to be some sort of talking point coming out of most Scottish Premiership games.
And with the introduction of VAR seemingly just around the corner in this country, all eyes are bound to be on the whistler’s performance, if that wasn’t the case already.
Either way, I am sure the Celtic manager will have his players focused on the task at hand as his side looks to continue their strong start to the campaign and get back to winning ways following the disappointment last time out.
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