Man (19) arrested after Celtic v Motherwell referee’s personal details leaked

By Ryan McDougall, Press Association Scotland

A 19-year-old man has been arrested after referee John Beaton had his personal details leaked in the wake of the penalty controversy at this week’s Celtic v Motherwell match, Police Scotland have said.

On Friday night, the force confirmed the man was arrested in connection with data protection offences.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) said the referee and his family have been placed under “police surveillance” for his safety.

Beaton’s decision to penalise Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson for handball in a stoppage-time VAR review allowed Celtic to cut the gap on William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts to one point ahead of Saturday’s title decider.

The decision was widely criticised in Scotland and beyond and the Foundation of Hearts, the league leaders’ majority shareholder, expressed concerns over refereeing decisions during the title run-in.

The SFA said Beaton and his family had spent Thursday night at home under police surveillance “following a leak of personal details online” and condemned attempts to compromise the safety of match officials.