Willie Collum walks down Ibrox tunnel after ‘dog’s abuse’ from Rangers fans
Willie Collum received “dog’s abuse” from the Rangers supporters as he warmed up ahead of kick off against Ayr United, according to This Is Ibrox.
The Gers-focused outlet reported via Twitter ahead of the game on 10 February that the official was not given a warm welcome from the Ibrox stands prior to the start of the game.
The Scottish Cup tie is the first Light Blues match Collum has taken charge of since he was at the centre of controversy as the video assistant for the 30 December Old Firm derby [Sky Sports, 9 February].
This Is Ibrox wrote: “18 minutes to kick off and Willie Collum already getting dogs abuse from the stands as he walks down the tunnel after his warm up.”
Collum blasted by Rangers fans at Ibrox after Celtic controversy
There was extensive fallout after the 2-1 Celtic victory at Parkhead prior to the New Year, after Collum quickly waved away an apparent handball by Alistair Johnston in his own box.
It has proved to be the only defeat of Philippe Clement’s reign so far, with the Belgian having played down the controversy despite the club itself having reacted furiously to his previous VAR performance.
It was far from the first time that the official has made controversial decisions that have left Rangers unhappy, but the hierarchy’s reaction was deemed to have lost them the moral high ground in the most recent instance.
Collum takes charge as Clement’s side look to continue their push for what could yet prove to be an unlikely treble, given how the season started under Michael Beale.
Scott Brown’s presence on the touchline as Ayr United boss provides another element to the tie but the Light Blues will expect to have too much for his Scottish Championship side if they play up to their current form.
All three January signings, Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes start at Ibrox as the side starts to take shape in Clement’s image.
In other Rangers news, David Edgar reacted as another Scottish club blasted the SPFL over an “embarrassing” Light Blues controversy.
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