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Police union: The future of Scottish football will be on the line if clubs do not take action to curb their thuggish fans

© Andrew Cawley / DCT MediaA fan is searched as he arrives for the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle
A fan is searched as he arrives for the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle

A hardcore of thuggish fans are putting the future of Scottish football at risk and the clubs are failing to stop them, according to the police union.

Scottish Police Federation vice-chairman David Hamilton accused the clubs, including Rangers and Celtic, of failing to curb a trend of unacceptable behaviour.

He spoke out after trouble on and off the pitch at last Sunday’s Old Firm derby and called on the two Glasgow clubs to introduce measures such as checking fans’ ID, introducing allocated seating, installing better CCTV and stopping supporters entering the ground if they’re too drunk.

He said: “They’ve got their heads in the sands like ostriches.

“They need to get it fixed because this problem is getting worse and it’s going to kill the game.

“People are going to walk away from it when they see how people are behaving and how the clubs and stewards aren’t really paying attention.

“This is more about prevention than enforcement.

“Football needs to think : ‘Are we a family game or is nastiness and bitterness going to be accepted conduct.

“There’s a challenge here for the clubs to define themselves, to define Scottish football.

“In Italy young people are abandoning the game in droves because they don’t like the atmosphere of Italian football. It’s lost its shine.

“The danger here is that happens to Scottish football which would be a calamity.”

Last week’s Old Firm derby was described by police as the worst in 20 years, with a pitch invasion and fireworks hurled from the crowd.

Violence erupted in the city after the match. The worst incident was in the Merchant City, where three Celtic fans were stabbed. A brawl also broke out in Glasgow city centre and footage of violent scenes at a pub in Lanarkshire were also circulated on social media.

Official football-related arrest figures from Police Scotland are limited to those held at the game.

Suspects are also often traced and arrested at a later date, as trying to take an individual from a crowd can provoke further trouble.

Making significant numbers of arrests also drains policing resources on match day.