Bigotry 'not unique to the Old Firm'

Published on Monday 4 April 2011 19:39

A LEADING academic has warned Scotland's football authorities that measures to tackle bigotry should not just focus on the Old Firm, after describing the as "completely unacceptable" the behaviour of fans at the Edinburgh derby at the weekend.

Dr John Kelly, an expert in sport and sectarianism at Edinburgh University, said he could clearly hear the singing of offensive chants by both Hibs and Hearts supporters during the match at Easter Road.

He also said he was shocked to witness Hibs supporters close to where he was sitting hurling missiles - including a slice of pizza and a large cup of soft drink - from their seats towards the Easter Road pitch, and at the sight of dozens of Hearts fans leaping over barriers to goad their rivals after snatching a late equaliser.

The Scotsman can reveal 20 fans were thrown out of the stadium for "unruly behaviour" by police or stewards, with a further three arrested for alleged drunkenness and encroaching on to the pitch.

These figures compared to six arrests at the recent Old Firm cup final and 34 at the previous Celtic-Rangers encounter at Parkhead that triggered a Scottish Government investigation into bigotry and violence problems in the game.

The Edinburgh derby disorder flared just days after Richie Towell, on loan at Hibs from Celtic, said he had met more hostility at Tynecastle than at Ibrox as an Irish Catholic.

Hibs last night revealed the club had supplied Lothian and Borders Police with a dossier of CCTV footage of all areas of the club following the disorder, and warned any fans either who were arrested or ejected from the game would be facing a ban from Easter Road.

The force said it would "fully investigate" any complaints received over sectarian, racist, or other offensive chanting.

The behaviour of Scottish football fans has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons over the last month since senior police officers called for Old Firm matches to be played behind closed doors due to the levels of violence that surround the fixture.

Strathclyde Police asked the Scottish Government to convene a high-profile summit just days later after 187 offences were reported in the force area in the wake of the next Old Firm game, which saw Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist and Celtic coach Neil Lennon confront each other following the final whistle.

A taskforce involving the police and football authorities is drawing up a new code of conduct which will tackle the issue of offensive chants and possible sanctions for clubs.

Writing in The Scotsman today, Dr Kelly, who claims to have no affiliation with either Hibs or Hearts, said: "The latest Hibs-Hearts derby at Easter Road exposed the bigoted, intolerant and inflammatory behaviour of some Edinburgh fans that seems to have escaped scrutiny from the police and media alike.

"Tackling ethno-religious bigotry requires all guilty parties are held culpable if genuine solutions are to be found."

He told The Scotsman: "It was certainly not two or three supporters. I am talking hundreds who were all around me, who were singing 'Rudi Skacel's a f***ing refugee'. And there were thousands of Hearts supporters singing about being 'up to their knees in Fenian blood'.

"In many ways there was a great atmosphere, but there is no doubt these chants are bigoted and offensive. The conduct of a lot of supporters was completely unacceptable.

"I watched around 20 missiles being thrown from the Hibs end when a Hearts player went to take a corner, including a slice of pizza and a full cup of soft drink.

"When Hearts equalised, around 30 of their supporters, tried to encroach onto the sidelines and some got on to the pitch."

A spokeswoman for Hibs said: "Any supporter who indulges in unacceptable conduct will be banned from Easter Road Stadium and prohibited from obtaining tickets from the club for away matches or matches at neutral venues; such conduct may also lead to criminal charges."

Derek Watson, chairman of the Hearts Supporters Trust, said: "To some extent I would agree (with Dr Kelly). But the religious bigotry element to Edinburgh Derby games is a lot less than it used to be, albeit it has not totally disappeared."

A police spokesman said: "We take seriously any allegations of sectarian, racist, or other offensive chanting at football matches, and officers are briefed prior to any game to deal robustly with any individuals who are clearly identified as being responsible.

"We will fully investigate any complaints we receive regarding such behaviour, and where the evidence is sufficient, those responsible will be arrested and charged."