POLICE SCOTLAND are today investigating death threats and online abuse aimed at Glasgow Derby referee Kevin Clancy after the weekend’s game.
The Scottish Football Association has requested the assistance of the Police to investigate several ominous threats and intimidating messages received into Kevin Clancy’s email inbox and phone, following the disclosure of the official’s work email address and phone number on the social media platform Twitter. [MailSport].
The Rangers manager and captain were critical of decisions that went against them in the Glasgow Derby. The Ibrox club reportedly asked for an explanation for not awarding Alfredo Morelos a goal at Celtic Park. MailSport claims the SFA have already replied, citing Morelos’s push to create space for him to score the goal. The game finished 3-2 and all but sealed Celtic’s title victory.
The SFA are also in the process of trying to get the account responsible for posting Kevin Clany’s information taken down.
A statement from the SFA read: ‘The Scottish FA has referred a significant volume of threatening and abusive emails to Police Scotland after personal and professional contact details of Saturday’s Old Firm referee, Kevin Clancy, were published online following the derby match.
‘The association’s security and integrity manager has been liaising with Kevin and Police Scotland following a series of unacceptable messages being sent via email and phone over the holiday weekend.
‘We offer our full support to Kevin and reiterate our wider support to the referee community.’
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell added: ‘The nature of the messages goes way beyond criticism of performance and perceived decision-making — some are potentially criminal in nature and include threats and abuse towards Kevin and his family.
‘We have referred the correspondence to the police and condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms, as well as the posting of a referee’s personal details online with the sole purpose of causing distress.
‘Football is our national game. It improves and saves lives. Without referees there is no game and, while decisions will always be debated with or without the use of VAR, we cannot allow a situation to develop where a referee’s privacy and safety, and those of his family, are compromised.
‘We all have a responsibility to protect our game and those essential to it.’
It’s pathetic behaviour and has no place in our game. No matter your opinion on any official or player, when you go beyond those ninety minutes and attempt to intimidate and threaten, you have to be dealt with.
