Scottish referee and VAR duo selected among best in Europe after receiving elite UEFA invite

Two Scottish referees have been identified as being among the best in Europe after receiving a special invite to an elite UEFA summit being held in Greece next month.

John Beaton and Andrew Dallas have been selected for the UEFA advanced course which will take place in Athens from February 3 to 5. Beaton will attend as one of the handpicked category one referees to make the list while Dallas has been included as a VAR participant.

The course is reserved for the top officials on the continent and involves training sessions, presentations, tests and workshops to prepare referees and VARs for the demands of European football's top competitions.

Referee John Beaton during the Premier Sports Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park last month. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

A total of 75 referees and 14 VAR officials have been selected including four from the English Premier League; namely Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor, Christopher Kavanagh and Jarred Gillet (VAR).

The Scottish FA duo will also rub shoulders with the likes of Szymon Marciniak, the Polish whistler who officiated the 2022 World Cup final, and French referee Francois Letexier, who became the youngest referee of a Euros final when he was assigned the clash between Spain and England in Germany last summer.

Beaton is already a regular on the UEFA circuit having refereed one Conference League and three Europa League fixtures so far this season. His most recent assignment was Rapid Vienna's 3-0 home win over FC Copenhagen last month in the final round of the Conference League group stage. He is yet to referee in the Champions League proper but has taken charge of matches in the qualifying rounds.

He is also regularly handed the biggest matches in Scotland and recently officiated the Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden having been involved in three out of the last four Old Firm derbies.

Dallas, meanwhile, has served as a VAR in the Europa League as well as an assistant VAR in the Champions League. He stepped down as a referee in 2023 due to injury and has since become a dedicated VAR operator. He is the son of Hugh Dallas, the high-profile former Scottish referee who latterly served as a development officer with the Scottish FA and UEFA.