Police Scotland’s chief constable said fan violence in Scottish football is escalating and becoming a significant public safety issue. She said policing can help, but accountability and ownership are lacking among clubs and football authorities. She called for the SFA and SPFL to strengthen their regulatory framework and clearly set sanctions for incidents such as pitch invasions. She suggested sanctions could include reducing fan allocations by 20%, then 40%, and eventually banning spectators, forcing matches to be played behind closed doors. She referenced disorder at multiple end-of-season games, including Celtic vs Rangers and Celtic vs Hearts, where 47 arrests were made and pitch invasions occurred. Police Scotland reported no complaints from Hearts about alleged assaults on their players after the Celtic match.
"Policing has a strong part to play in football, but there is no doubt that accountability and ownership is lacking around football in Scotland. Disorder, violence and thuggery is unchecked and is allowed to be shrugged off. I think there is an absolute necessity for the two football authorities - the SFA and the SPFL - to strengthen their regulatory framework around football, and to be clear with the public, the clubs and the fans what the sanctions are going to be if there are pitch invasions, for example."
"Farrell said these sanctions could include cutting fan allocations by 20%, then 40% and eventually a complete ban, meaning clubs would have to play games essentially behind closed doors with no spectators. The chief constable added: "What I am not seeing is a very clear intent from""
"Jo Farrell told the Scottish Police Authority board that clubs whose supporters cause trouble should face tougher sanctions, including reductions in the number of fans allowed to attend matches. She said punishments like cutting fan allocations would help solve the problem. Her comments came after disorder at several games towards the end of the season, including high-profile matches between Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Cup and the Premiership title decider between Celtic and Hearts."
"A total of 47 arrests have been made in relation to those two matches, which both featured pitch invasions. Police Scotland told the BBC they have not received any complaints from Hearts over alleged assaults on their players after the Celtic match. Farrell said trouble connected to football was escalating in the country and it was becoming a "significant public safety issue" that affected communities and businesses."
Read at www.bbc.com
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