Celtic’s season has reached that point where every detail feels amplified.
A semi final at Hampden should be about anticipation. The noise, the build up, the sense that something meaningful is on the line. For Celtic, facing St Mirren once again, it should be a chance to take another step toward silverware and bring a demanding campaign into sharper focus.
But that is not where the conversation has settled.
Instead, the build up has been pulled in a different direction. Not toward tactics or team selection, but toward something far more familiar this season. Officiating.
Long before a ball has been kicked, the spotlight has already shifted. And once again, it is not entirely about the players.
Because this did not come out of nowhere.
Across the season, questions around refereeing standards have continued to surface. Decisions dissected, moments replayed, and certain names repeatedly finding themselves at the centre of controversy. It has created an environment where trust feels fragile, where every new appointment is examined before the match even begins.
So when the Scottish FA confirmed the officials for this semi final, the reaction was immediate.
Not outrage, but concern. Not anger, but a sense of déjà vu.
And then came a voice that added weight to that feeling.
Former referee Des Roache stepped in, not to criticise individuals, but to question the situation itself. His words reflected something that has been building quietly for weeks.
He said: “We really need to stress this. This isn’t a personal dig at any of these guys [Walsh, Clancy. Beaton, McDermid], because they’re out there doing their best, obviously.
“But I think they are the guys, they are the names that not just us, but the mainstream Scottish media, the main fans all have questions about.
“They’re the guys saying decisions that have been made throughout the season, they’ve always been the contention.
“I’m sorry, I just think Matthew McDermid is being hung out to dry to do this. I just don’t think this is very appropriate for him. I think Matthew needs to be taken out of the limelight, and they’ve just flung him straight back in there.”
That last line lingers.
Because it shifts the focus entirely.
This is not about one decision. It is not even about one referee. It is about the environment being created around them, and the pressure that follows.
The appointment of Matthew McDermid has not calmed the situation. If anything, it has intensified it.
Not because of who he is, but because of what surrounds him. The debates, the previous flashpoints, the growing sense that the same officials keep being placed in the most scrutinised moments of the season.
And that is where the real tension lies.
Because now, before the teams even step onto the pitch at Hampden, the referee is already part of the story.
That is never ideal.
For Celtic, it adds another layer to a match that already carries enough weight. A semi final, a chance to move closer to a trophy, and a test against a side that has made things difficult before.
For St Mirren, it creates the same challenge. A game where focus should be purely on execution, but where outside noise threatens to creep in.
And for the Scottish FA, it raises questions that will not disappear easily.
Because by making this appointment, they have not reduced the pressure. They have placed it directly under the spotlight.
The result is a match that now carries an added tension. Not just about who wins, but about what happens along the way.
And that is the part nobody can fully control.
As Sunday approaches, the focus will try to return to football. To moments of quality, to decisions made in real time, to the flow of a game that should define itself.
But the noise is already there.
And once it starts like this, it rarely fades quietly.