A referee abandoned a heated junior football match in Dundee on Saturday after apparently coming “under threat” from spectators.
Players and officials from Lochee Harp Football Club were left scratching their heads when, with just 10 minutes to play and with a 2-1 lead referee Kenny Beats marched off the pitch.
The club were playing in the East Region North Division league clash at the home of their local rivals Dundee North End in front of a crowd of around 50 people.
After ending the game prematurely the SFA-approved referee reported “an incident” to police but what this was for remains unclear.
The Courier contacted Mr Beats but he refused to comment on the matter, saying it was now in the hands of police.
However, Lochee Harp chairman Jim Kelly, who was watching the game from the sidelines, gave his view on the incident, saying that in his 50-year association with junior football he had never seen anything quite like it.
“I don’t know what happened and we will have to wait and see what is in the referee’s report,” Mr Kelly said. “He had just given a free-kick and then started to run off the pitch.
“There were no players round him at that point and we all thought he was running to get into position to watch the kick.
“To give him his due he did speak to us afterwards and said he ended the game on safety grounds. He said there were members of the crowd who were shouting at him and he felt he was under threat.”
The flashpoint in the game appears to have occurred when Mr Beats brandished a yellow card to Harp’s player Mark Kelly. Only moments later the player received a second yellow for dissent and was ordered off.
It is understood words were exchanged between the Harp bench and the referee before he called time on the game.
But Mr Kelly stressed nothing was said by the team to Mr Beats which made him feel threatened and that it was what was shouted by members of the crowd that prompted his decision.
He said those who put themselves forward to referee a match must expect criticism from fans over the course of a game.
“People pay their money to come in and watch the game and from time to time things will be said,” he said. “If he doesn’t like that then he shouldn’t do it. But on the other hand if it is a club official shouting from the touchline then that is a different situation.
“In this case though it wasn’t and the referee has got the police involved which he is well within his right to do.”
On the opening day of the season, Dundee North End saw their match against Arbroath Vics abandoned by the referee after he reported feeling threatened.
The Scottish Football Association has almost 2300 registered referees. No one from the SFA was available for comment at the weekend.
A police spokesman confirmed the matter is being investigated but was unable to divulge the nature of the complaint.