Scottish FA Condemns Threats Against Referee John Beaton

The Scottish FA has condemned attempts to compromise the safety of referee John Beaton and his family after a leak of personal details online following a controversial match. Beaton faced criticism for awarding a late penalty in Celtic's 3-2 win over Motherwell on Wednesday, a decision that kept Celtic within a point of league leaders Hearts ahead of their meeting on Saturday. The SFA expressed gratitude to Police Scotland for swift intervention and called for tolerance to prevent escalation, acknowledging that while referees are not infallible, the reaction to mistakes has become alarming. The association vowed to strengthen rules to protect officials, citing a pattern of harmful situations that have left some fearful of speaking out.