East Lothian crime: Tranent man and Rangers fan fined after sending Kevin Clancy abusive message

He sent the message following the Old Firm clash in April

A Rangers supporter has been fined after he admitted sending an abusive email to Old Firm referee Kevin Clancy.

Daniel Samson sent the offensive message to Clancy following the controversial derby clash between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on April 8 this year. Samson, 25, sent the abusive email to the whistler the morning after he had chalked off a goal scored by Ibrox star Alfredo Morelos in the 20th minute of the match.

The Gers supporter was said to have used threatening and abusive language as he heavily criticised the referee’s decision not to award the goal. Samson, from Tranent, East Lothian, was arrested and charged by police in May after the Scottish Football Association had reported all the threatening messages to the police on April 11 this year.

Rangers fan Daniel Samson appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

The Rangers fan pleaded guilty to sending an email of a threatening or abusive nature to Clancy when he appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday. The messages were sent to Clancy, who is employed in the legal profession, after his work email was widely circulated online. Sheriff Peter McCormack sentenced Samson to pay a fine of £640 to mark the offence.

Clancy is believed to have received hundreds of threatening messages from angry fans following the game which Celtic went on to win 3-2 in front of 59,646 fans. Following the abuse, Rangers boss Michael Beale showed his support towards the match official despite being unhappy about several key decisions made by Clancy during the 90 minutes.

He said: “I don’t know the facts about what Kevin has been getting, but it’s not something we accept in football. It’s something as a club we condemn. The referee, whoever it is in whatever game, has a difficult job. I heard the thing about the letter and stuff like that.”

Despite Beale’s backing, the Ibrox club wrote to the governing body asking for clarification regarding Clancy’s decision to disallow the Morelos first half goal. Last year the Glasgow giants also contacted the SFA regarding Clancy’s performance in a match against Aberdeen citing eight “concerns” they had about the referee’s performance.

Celtic triumphed 3-2 in the Scottish Premiership clash with two goals from Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi and one from Portuguese winger Jota. Rangers replied with a stunning free kick by full back James Tavernier and a further strike from the Rangers captain in the second half.