Willie Collum has been placed in charge of his 10th Old Firm derby when Celtic and Rangers prepare to lock horns at Parkhead this weekend.
The FIFA official has the experience and pedigree to make difficult decisions and the Scottish FA named him as the man in the middle for Saturday’s major title showdown - his first appointment in this fixture since the 2021/22 season.
Heavily criticised Collum was on VAR duties for Celtic’s 2-1 victory over the Ibrox men on December 30, which led Light Blues chiefs to request the 45-year-old whistler be excluded from matches involving them after failing to penalise Hoops defender Alistair Johnston for a handball, despite Abdallah Sima being caught in an offside position.
All eyes from the 60,000 supporters inside Celtic Park and millions watching worldwide will be on Collum ahead of the 12.30pm kick-off that is likely to have a huge implication on the destination of the Scottish Premiership title this term.
A win for Celtic would all but see them regain the crown as Brendan Rodgers’ side would move six points clear of their bitter rivals with two games remaining. However, a rare Gers triumph in Glasgow’s east end would move Philippe Clement’s men level on points to set up a nerve-shredding end to the campaign.
It promises to be another explosive afternoon of drama and Collum is almost certain to have his work cut out keeping a lid on things. Here, GlasgowWorld delves into the numbers and takes a closer inspection at Collum’s Old Firm record since taking charge of his first derby in 2010.
1. Celtic 1 Rangers 3 - 24/10/2010 (SPL)
Collum's debut in the fixture was embroiled in controversy. He awarded Rangers a penalty without seeing derby debutant Daniel Majstorovic's challenge on Kirk Broadfoot. Kenny Miller was the star of the show for the visitors, making no mistake from the spot as part of a double during the 3-1 victory. In total, Collum dished out five yellow cards (3 for Celtic and 2 for Rangers), producing two inside the opening five minutes.
2. Celtic 1 Rangers 0 - 28/12/2011 (SPL)
Joe Ledley was the hero for Celtic on this occasion as the Welshman's second-half header saw Celtic leapfrog their rivals at the top of the table to make it nine league wins in a row with ease. Collum had a fairly busy afternoon, producing four yellow cards (1 for Celtic and 3 for Rangers).
3. Celtic 5 Rangers 1 - 10/09/2016 (SPFL)
Collum brandished his first red card in the fixture when Rangers defender Philippe Senderos was correctly sent packing for a handball which led to a second yellow on a day when Moussa Dembele became first player to score a hat-trick in an Old Firm league derby for 50 years. Collum totalled 8 yellows (4 for Celtic and 4 for Rangers) on a manic afternoon.
4. Celtic 2 Rangers 0 - 23/04/2017 (Scottish Cup)
Collum was at the centre of more controversy at Hampden for pointing to the spot again, this time in Celtic's favour after James Tavernier had fouled Leigh Griffiths. Celtic would go on to set up a Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen as they kept their domestic treble hopes alive with this impressive win. In total, the whistler produced a further 5 yellow cards (2 for Celtic and 3 for Rangers)