Football violence: 'Target the problem at the heart of ills'

IT would be easy to sit in the Capital and look down dismissively on the antics of Glasgow's two warring football factions.

In a week when Hearts and Hibs scooped all three SPL player/manager of the month awards, and with Tynecastle and Easter Road largely trouble-free, why should we care what the Old Firm extremists get up to?

Unfortunately, we don't have to look far for answers. The 187 arrests after Wednesday night's mayhem at Celtic Park explain why the policing bill for this season's derbies will hit 40 million.

We can't afford that - and society can't afford the spike in violence, including domestic violence, which drove one senior cop to call for a ban on the games. While the impact is greatest in the West, there is a knock-on effect in the Capital too.

As Scotland's main tourist magnet, Edinburgh is particularly vulnerable when anything besmirches our nation's reputation as a friendly place to visit. And the headlines this week's game made abroad will certainly have done damage.

Yesterday's threat on Neil Lennon's life was the clearest sign yet that action is long overdue. And while the First Minister may well have had the election in mind when he called his summit, he is to be applauded for taking a lead.

The danger is that self- interest will prevent serious action being taken. Rangers and Celtic would be nothing without their famous rivalry, while, as Jim Jefferies observed, the SFA and Scottish football benefits from TV revenues which are heavily dependent on the Old Firm.

Glasgow derbies are great theatre, but it must be possible to keep them exciting while excluding the morons who bring shame on us all.

That means cracking down on the troublemakers on the field - and their managers when they misbehave - with lengthy bans and fines.

Banning sectarian songs is all well and good, but the only way to tackle off-field trouble is to target the problem at the heart of so many of Scotland's ills.

So areas around grounds must become drink- exclusion zones on Old Firm match days.

And that's just a start - why not also spot-check fans with breathalysers and bar them if they are drunk?