Fan violence in Scottish football is being "under-reported" due to a lack of accountability from clubs and football authorities, Police Scotland chief Jo Farrell has said. During a meeting with the Policing Authority of Scotland board, Farrell stressed that clubs whose supporters cause problems should face tougher sanctions, including reducing the number of fans allowed to attend matches. According to Farrell, punishments such as reducing fan allocations would help solve the problem.
His comments come after disturbances at several matches towards the end of the season, including high-voltage matches between Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Cup and the crucial league meeting between Celtic and Hearts. In relation to these two matches, 47 arrests were made, both involving pitch invasions. Police Scotland told the BBC they had received no complaints from Hearts about alleged attacks on their players after the match against Celtic. Two police officers were injured in Glasgow city center after Celtic beat Hearts 3-1 to take the title in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season, as Celtic fans gathered in the Trongate area to celebrate the triumph.
Farrell said the football problem was growing in Scotland and was becoming a "significant public safety issue" affecting communities and businesses. He said: "The police have an important role in football, but there is no doubt that accountability and ownership are lacking in Scottish football. Disorder, violence and brutality are left unchecked and under-reported. It is imperative that the two football authorities - the SFA and the SPFL - strengthen their regulatory framework around football, and make it clear to the public, clubs and fans what the sanctions will be for pitch invasions, for example."
Farrell proposed that these sanctions could include reducing fan allocations by 20%, then 40% and finally a total ban, which would mean clubs would have to play virtually behind closed doors, without spectators. He highlighted how European football's top body, UEFA, has been successful with this approach for its competitions, such as the Champions League and Europa League.
The police chief added: "What I don't see is a clear intent from the football authorities as to what the sanctions are and what strong and visible measures they intend to take to control fan behaviour. There is a lot of work to be done among stakeholders in Scottish football to have control over this situation."
He also noted that while police can arrest people, it often takes several months before they appear in court, meaning there are no immediate consequences for, say, a pitch invasion. The SPFL said it had been "repeatedly clear that there is no place for disorder in the Scottish game". A spokesperson said: "We have concluded 11 disciplinary proceedings against eight clubs this season and last week announced a further five investigations into incidents in the final weeks of the campaign. All stakeholders need to work together to address challenges of unacceptable conduct at matches, including pitch invasions and the use of pyrotechnics."
Justice Secretary Neil Gray said there was "absolutely no excuse for the disorder at football or the disgraceful scenes of violence, vandalism and anti-social behavior which occurred in Glasgow this month". He added: “The Scottish Government is continuing to consider the actions we can take, including the work we are already doing to broaden the scope of the Football Banning Orders, but authorities and individual clubs must act decisively and implement genuine deterrents to address and combat misconduct.”
Fans invaded the pitch after Celtic scored their third goal in injury time during the title decider, leading Hearts to criticize Celtic, saying they had created a "threatening and disturbing atmosphere". The Glasgow club apologized to Hearts but manager Martin O'Neill claimed it was "silly" to say the scenes had embarrassed Scottish football. BBC Scotland News also spoke to several businesses in Trongate who closed early that day, before Celtic fans stormed the area to celebrate. Local businesses questioned why an official fan party could not be held elsewhere, but Glasgow City Council stated that this should be organized by the club, as the local authority could not meet the costs. Other fixtures under investigation include Motherwell v Celtic at Fir Park on May 13, Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Hamilton Academical in League 1 on May 2, Hamilton's League 1 play-off win against Clyde at Broadwood on May 15 and Stenhousemuir v Alloa Athletic on May 16. Police and fans were also injured after Celtic and Rangers supporters invaded the pitch following the Scottish Cup quarter-final in March. Scotland manager Steve Clarke said last week that fans invading the pitch to celebrate were a bad image for the game.
