Kevin Clancy abuse after Celtic vs Rangers slammed by ref chiefs as they call for 'strong support to protect referees'

The Scottish Senior Football Referees Association have blasted the abuse suffered by Kevin Clancy in the aftermath of his part in Celtic vs Rangers on Saturday.

His performance in the Premiership derby has been the subject of debate after the referee called a foul by Alfredo Morelos on Hoops star Alistair Johnston with the game at 0-0, with the hosts winning 3-2 in the end. But the SFA have had to refer a 'significant volume of threatening and abusive emails to Police Scotland after "personal and professional contact details" of Clancy's were leaked.

Some of the messages were branded "potentially criminal in nature" and said to "include threats and abuse towards Kevin and his family" in the statement from Hampden. And now the body who represent whistlers in Scotland have offered their response. They said: "The SSFRA condemns the wholly unacceptable level of abuse directed towards Kevin Clancy following this weekend's Celtic vs Rangers match.

"Referees are not immune from criticism and accept there will always be legitimate debate on subjective decision making. However, when this becomes targeted threats and abuse impacting on their personal and professional lives this clearly crosses the line.

"We continue to offer our full support to Kevin and all our members, many of whom have experienced an increase in abuse this season. We welcome the Scottish FA's strong support to protect referees and the wider image of the game."

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