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| Lanarkshire schoolteacher Willie Collum will be Scotland's only representative at Euro 2016 |
SCOTLAND will be represented at Euro 2016 after Willie Collum was named one of the tournament’s 18 referees.
The 36-year-old will be joined at the France finals by other Scottish colleagues as part of his team of assistants and fourth officials.
Collum will attend a UEFA training course over the coming weeks before heading to the host nation in April to undergo fitness tests and train with his team.
The Lanarkshire schoolteacher said: “I’m really looking forward to it and can safely say that this is likely to be the highlight of my refereeing career.
“It’s the closest a referee can ever come to getting picked for Scotland.
You can imagine what it’s like for a player to play in a major championship and it’s the same for the referees. It will be a great honour to represent my country on such a world stage.”
Collum’s appointment comes months after he refereed the Scottish Cup Final and the UEFA Super Cup Final between Barcelona and Sevilla.
He said: “All these experiences have contributed to making me the referee I am today.
“Scottish football has got me to the position I am in today at UEFA. You need to be performing domestically and you need to be challenged and I feel that’s the case.
“All these big matches, which as a young referee I would never have dreamt of being involved in, will certainly help contribute to that experience at a finals tournament.”
The news was welcomed by John Fleming, the SFA’s head of referee operations. Fleming said: “I am absolutely delighted for William.
“He is a tremendously hard-working referee and this is great news for the country.
“There are only 18 refs who have been appointed, and for Scotland to have one is fantastic.
“I’m sure the country will get behind William and his team in the summer.”
English officials Martin Atkinson and Mark Clattenburg have also been named as match referees. While Collum is highly regarded by UEFA, he has come under fire from some managers in Scotland.
In August, Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson revealed that his team trained with 10 men after learning that Collum would be in charge of their league game at Hamilton.
Jambos full-back Callum Paterson was sent off as the visitors lost 3-2.
The red card was subsequently rescinded but Neilson was handed a suspended two-match touchline ban for his controversial remarks.
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