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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Graeme Young

Willie Collum to referee his first Rangers vs Celtic clash since stinging Ibrox statement

Referee Willie Collum will be the man in the middle for next month's Betfred Cup Final.

The 40-year-old will take charge of the clash between Celtic and Rangers as the Glasgow rivals do battle in the Hampden showpiece on December 7.

It will be the seventh time the grade one official will referee the biggest fixture in the country but the first since Rangers issued a stinging blast and claimed there were "underlying issues" with the official's ongoing performance.

Collum went six months without refereeing the Ibrox side in the wake of the club's scathing statement in the wake Daniel Candeias' red card against St Mirren.

(SNS Group)

But he was appointed for Rangers' final fixture of the season against Kilmarnock and has officiated their home clash with Livingston this season.

The Ibrox side took Collum and the SFA to task last season as they slammed the "inexplicable" call not to reverse their original decision on the Portuguese winger's dismissal.

It read: "Rangers afforded the governing body the opportunity to let common sense prevail and we are surprised they have chosen not to do so by correcting what was, and what remains an inexplicable decision by the match referee, Willie Collum. Rangers shall now seek a fundamental review of the rules relating to red cards which result from two bookings of a player in a game."

His assistant referees at the national stadium will be David Roome and Alan Mulvanny. Kevin Clancy will be the fourth offical.

The referee found him on the front of Italian newspapers for awarding Monchengladbach a penalty after he adjudged Chris Smalling had handled the ball.

Corriere dello Sport took the Scot to task for his 'unacceptable' display.

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