Rangers coin thrower shone light on scourge of Scottish football - and SPFL response leaves much to be desired

It was slightly ironic although not surprising that on a day when something called the Loving Cup ceremony took place before kick-off on Thursday at Ibrox, there was little fondness on display in the proceeding 90 plus minutes between Rangers and Celtic.

A visiting player felled by a coin thrown from the crowd is not only a terrible way to start the year but is evidence that Scottish football’s crowd behaviour issues will continue in perpetuity if nothing is done about them. If anything, the problem is getting worse.

Rangers were admirably prompt with a statement after the final whistle condemning the person responsible for striking Arne Engels with a coin in the corner between the Sandy Jardine and Broomloan Stands at Ibrox. However, everything else surrounding this issue screams kicking the can a little bit further down the road, including the SPFL’s statement on Friday.

Celtic's Arne Engels falls to the ground after being struck by a coin thrown by a Rangers fan at Ibrox. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

“The behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we fully support any steps taken to identify those responsible for such idiotic, criminal acts,” it read. “The dangers of so-called supporters throwing such items on to the pitch are obvious and anyone found guilty of such disgraceful conduct must be deal with severely by the courts, including the imposition of football banning orders.”

Talk about an abdication of responsibility. Of course the SPFL must let Police Scotland conduct their investigations with the help of Rangers in an effort to identify the culprit. But while it might not be their house, it is still their competition. They need to take more of a lead. The above words simply give the impression of buck-passing.

Few in the game wish to see the spectre of strict liability summoned once more but the adoption of this preventative measure is likely to be discussed after the Scottish Parliament re-opens for business on Monday. How can these recent incidents be ignored? Grisly images stretching back months and years can easily be recalled without even looking them up. Another glass bottle hurled at Dundee United forward Tony Watt after he scored a goal in front of Raith Rovers supporters at Tannadice in March (the supporter involved was banned indefinitely following a swift reaction from the Fife club).

Then there is the corkscrew on the turf yards from where Lawrence Shankland was preparing to take a penalty against Hibs in February and, just last weekend, a bottle of vodka near where Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin was standing during last weekend’s clash against Aberdeen, again at Tannadice.

A bottle of vodka has launched in the direction of Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin by Aberdeen fans at Tannadice last week. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group) | SNS Group

One official present that evening described the behaviour of the visiting supporters as the worst he had seen in Scotland in his career, which is saying something. These words mirrored those of Dundee stadium manager Jim Thomson in reference to Celtic fans' misbehaviour at a Boxing Day game in 2012. “A throwback to the 1970s,” he said. It’s not a new or old problem. It’s an ever-present problem exacerbated by increasing cocaine use among fans – and people are arguing for more alcohol to be added to the mix via bars in stadium concourses.

Now an enduring image from the game’s most high-profile fixture is an £11 million footballer lying prone while clutching his head. And that's before anyone even mentions the sectarian singing from Rangers fans heard in spells throughout and the city centre disorder before the recent Premier Sports Cup final.

The above statement from the SPFL sounds like words someone felt ought to be written in the circumstances. The equivalent of a football star instructing an intern to impart some banalities on social media: ‘Write something like this…’

At least the SPFL have been moved to express some concern. There was nothing after the Goodwin incident, nothing after the Shankland incident and nothing after the Watt incident as nothing continues to happen relating to this rapidly worsening scourge of Scottish football.