John Beaton has gone to the Daily Record to try to excuse his performance in the Glasgow derby and tried to point the blame at Compliance Officer Claire Whyte.
The latest claims seem to be part of Operation Deflection as Celtic await a response from the SFA to their request to publish Beaton’s match report.
Since Celtic’s statement on Friday afternoon the Beaton treatment has been in full swing. Soon afterwards the PA claimed that he had received abusive text messages which have been transformed into round the clock police protection for him and his loved ones (family).
No one has yet been charged with any threat to the Lanarkshire based referee while no evidence has produced of the website or social media platform which apparently published Beaton’s phone number.
All sorts of tactics are being used to deflect attention away from the referee’s decision not to send off Alfredo Morelos.
Despite the mainstream media’s claims about the publication of a phone number no Scottish publication has touched the widespread evidence backed up by pictures that after the match at Ibrox Beaton was out celebrating in The Crown Bar, Bellshill.
The Record claims:
Beaton is believed to have been equally bemused and let down by the fallout from the December 29 clash at Ibrox – and the SFA’s decision to announce that Morelos only escaped punishment because the referee had seen all three incidents when they occurred.
We understand Beaton did confirm he had a good view of the skirmishes between Morelos, Scott Brown, Anthony Ralston and Ryan Christie during the game.
But that Beaton was then denied the opportunity to retrospectively review those incidents despite having the chance to study them more closely on video replays.
The Record source adds:
“As for John, he and his family are now paying a horrendous price for the whole Morelos mess. When he confirmed he had seen the incidents during the match he also fully expected to be asked if he had any reason to change his mind having watched them all back on TV.
“Having said that, the SFA’s disciplinary department had already made it almost impossible for referees to deal with these incidents.
“Remember, it was them who rescinded the red card Morelos was given at Pittodrie for kicking an opponent on the first day of the season at Pittodrie and then failed to punish Steven Naismith for stamping on Celtic’s Jonny Hayes a week later at Tynecastle.
“Whether John would have changed his mind only he knows for sure. But it does look very much like he was denied that chance and, a result of that, the SFA were able to pin the blame back on him.
“Referees have to put up with a lot of abuse in this country and they realise that’s part and parcel of the job.
“Most of the guys would acknowledge also that far too many mistakes have been made over the course of the season so far, but what they do not expect is for their own employers to throw them under a bus whenever the heat is on.
“As a result, relations between the officials and the compliance officer are extremely strained at this moment.”
Next Tuesday the SFA will name the referee for Celtic’s Scottish Cup tie against Airdrie United/Clydebank.
Out of the 12 regional Referee Associations three of the four match officials at Ibrox were from the Lanarkshire Association, the other was extreme right-wing Tory MP Douglas Ross.
