The abuse aimed towards Kevin Clancy in the wake of Celtic vs Rangers at the weekend is a "disgrace".
That's the view of former Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson.
This afternoon it was revealed by the Scottish FA that the official had received a barrage of abusive messages in the aftermath of the derby clash on Saturday.
It came after his personal and professional contact details were leaked online.
The SFA have referred the messages to Police Scotland, having stated that some were "potentially criminal in nature".
Clancy came in for some intense scrutiny after the encounter for some of his decisions during the powderkeg derby match.
The call in particular which was sparked huge controversy was his decision to chop off Alfredo Morelos' opener in the game around the 20th minute mark after the Colombian was adjudged to have fouled Alistair Johnston in the build-up.
But Ferguson put football into perspective when discussing the matter on Go Radio's Football Show this evening, insisting those responsible are a disgrace.
He said: "That's very poor if you're asking my opinion, I don't like to see that. Listen, I felt he got a few things wrong, but there's absolutely no need for that sort of behaviour from people.
"He's only human at the end of the day. I've said before, you must be crazy to be a referee with some of the abuse they take.
"They have bad games, and he got some decisions wrong at the weekend, but just with the statement you've read out there...it's not right, let's be honest."
Mark Guidi then rightfully pointed out that criticisms of decisions should never go to the extremes where they impact referees' families and mental health.
Ferguson responded: "It's a disgrace, let's be honest. A disgrace."
Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “The nature of the messages goes way beyond criticism of performance and perceived decision-making - some are potentially criminal in nature and include threats and abuse towards Kevin and his family.
“We have referred the correspondence to the police and condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms, as well as the posting of a referee’s personal details online with the sole purpose of causing distress.
“Football is our national game. It improves and saves lives. Without referees, there is no game, and while decisions will always be debated with or without the use of VAR, we cannot allow a situation to develop where a referee’s privacy and safety, and those of his family, are compromised.
“We all have a responsibility to protect our game and those essential to it.”
