Top QC says he won’t miss Old Firm acrimony

Published on 04/08/2012 00:00

SCOTLAND’S top prosecutor has said he will not miss the sectarian element of regular Old Firm football clashes now that Rangers play in the Third Division.

Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland, QC, who said he hopes bigotry will be removed from society, was instrumental in bringing in controversial laws to stamp it out at football matches.

“There are fantastic things about the Old Firm game,” he said.

“It’s a match played at high tempo, with high stakes, followed the world over. But you don’t need to sully it with an explosion of sectarian chanting and behaviour.

“So will I miss it? No, I won’t miss the sectarian element of it. If that was stripped out, yes, I would miss it.”

Rangers, consigned to liquidation over summer, were voted into the Third Division of the Scottish Football League after being refused admission into the Scottish Premier League.

The club can now only 
meet Glasgow rivals Celtic in cup ties.

The Scottish Parliament brought in laws aimed at 
tackling religious-sectarian hate crime earlier this year.

Mr Mulholland said he is optimistic that the issue can be addressed. He highlighted a change in attitude to drink-driving, saying that he hopes sectarianism will also come to be seen as 
socially unacceptable.