Justice Secretary warns clubs to get a grip on fan disorder
It follows the pitch invasion at the Scottish Cup final between Hibs and Rangers
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has warned Scottish football to get a grip of fan disorder or the Scottish Government will do it for them.
The SNP minister has recommended clubs adopt strict liability'' measures in order to prevent a repeat of the violent scenes witnessed at last month's Scottish Cup final.
But if they are not willing to sort the problem out themselves, he insisted he would look to beef up laws to ensure clubs are held accountable for the actions of their fans.
Chairmen have been reluctant to adopt these tough measures but Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan urged his members to sort it out'', admitting a government intervention could even put Scotland's membership of FIFA at risk.
Matheson, who issued his warning during a 20-minute presentation at the SFA's AGM in Glasgow, said afterwards: The scenes we saw at Hampden last week were appalling and the Scottish Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the disorder and violence which scarred the end of the game.
But from those dreadful scenes there is an opportunity to address some of the negative long-standing issues in the game, and I want football to be proactive.
That may be strict liability or it may be something else, but the bottom line is we want to see football taking the opportunity to finally address this long-standing issue.
I am encouraged by the initial response, but let me be absolutely clear: the Scottish Government is prepared to act if Scottish football isn't.
However, I genuinely hope that this is not needed and Scottish football takes control of its own destiny.''
The strict liability system is already used by UEFA to address offensive behaviour at matches.
Under those rules, a club is responsible for the conduct of its fans regardless of whether the club is to blame, with sanctions ranging from fines to the expulsion from tournaments.
Now Scottish clubs face having to introduce similarly tough measures domestically after the shameful scenes at Hampden which marred Hibs' victory over Rangers.
But Regan admitted FIFA - who do not allow government interference in football matters - would take a dim view if Matheson forced clubs to act.
The events of May 21 were disappointing for everyone connected with Scottish football,'' he said.
We don't condone that kind of behaviour, we don't condone sectarian singing, we don't condone pyrotechnics in stadia. These things are getting worse and are toxic.
It is embarrassing and we've got to do something about it. They are not acceptable.
The government have discussed their feelings with us and let it be known they are not happy with what happened at the cup final. Michael has made his position very clear - it's up to us now to move this agenda forward.
Clearly from a FIFA point of view any government intervention is frowned upon and it could interfere with the Scottish FA's membership of FIFA.
I don't for a minute think the government are doing anything to threaten our FIFA membership - they are looking to deal with unacceptable conduct.
But we've already made our point to the government very clearly that any government action doesn't interfere with the Scottish FA's membership of FIFA.''
Trouble erupted at Hampden when thousands of Leith supporters flooded onto the pitch following Hibs' dramatic cup win, with Rangers players and staff targeted for assaulted.
Police Scotland have launched a criminal investigation while the SFA announced on Wednesday that Sheriff Principal Edward F Bowen will chair the independent commission set up to review the security failures at the National Stadium.