Rangers v Celtic: John Beaton conspiracy theory torn to shreds by Hugh Keevins
Hugh Keevins does not believe in a Celtic conspiracy theory regarding referee John Beaton ahead of the Old Firm derby with Rangers.
Beaton has been appointed as the on-field official despite images surfacing on social media of him in a well-known Rangers pub in 2019, as shared by Michael McCahill on Twitter.
Hoops fans are not happy with the appointment but Keevins does not believe any bias will be on show at Ibrox.
“Many Celtic supporters believe John Beaton, the match referee, will do everything in his power to ensure a Rangers victory tomorrow,” Keevins wrote in his Daily Record column.
“A widely-circulated photograph of the official in a pub frequented by Rangers supporters long ago established Beaton on social media platforms as a man not to be trusted. Allegedly.
“The referee will be working at a match being shown live on television by a satellite company using more cameras than might be thought feasible for a football match and overseen by VAR, the mechanism which is supposed to guarantee the avoidance of doubt regarding contentious issues. VAR is, however, believed by some to be in place with the implicit purpose of denying Celtic natural justice.
“Taking into account the fact Celtic are in pole position while going for an 11th title win in 12 years – and repeating the fact they have dropped just nine points in a calendar year – the evidence to support the case for institutional bias would have to be thought flimsy at best. It is also insulting and demeaning to Postecoglou and his players, who have assembled astonishing numbers to confirm their undoubted superiority, to overlook their efforts while scouring the landscape for treachery.”
Both ways
It’s obviously only Rangers who ever get preferential treatment from officials in the eyes of Celtic fans but they should know better than anyone that the Old Firm have always seemed to have the edge over other Scottish clubs.
There are officials in the country that would prefer Celtic win over Rangers and vice versa and they have all refereed the biggest game in Scottish football before too.
Ultimately, both sides have to just get on with it and the big decisions all tend to be the right ones and that should definitely be the case now that VAR is in full operation in the Premiership.
The best team will win the match on the day and there can be little complaints by either side should they not get the result they are hoping for.
It’s almost as if Celtic fans believe they will lose and are already trying to come up with excuses as to why that is the case.
In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd only picked two Ibrox stars in his team of the season so far while Andy Walker snubbed the Bears completely.