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The incidents at the recent Hearts-Hibs derby match put Scottish football in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. SD Scotland's view was sought out by both the BBC and STV, and you may have seen and heard CEO Alan Russell on Good Morning Scotland and Scotland Tonight, in the latter taking part in a panel discussion with Rab Douglas, Graham Ruthven and Les Gray.
In the discussion we made the case for fans self-policing, calling for witnesses to the incidents to speak up and identify the individuals responsible. The discussion also extended to strict liability - where clubs are held responsible for the actions of their fans - although we stressed the difference between the legislation being proposed by Scottish politicians and the strict liability systems adopted by UEFA and the English FA, which are non-legislative systems of self-policing within football.
The previous week's discussion of the potential re-introduction of alcohol sales in football stadia was also revisited - the irony being that these incidents happened with an alcohol ban in effect. This is a sensitive topic, with alcohol abuse a serious problem in Scotland, but it is clear that restricting alcohol consumption for 90 minutes is not a solution to this problem, and may even exacerbate it due to an increase in binge drinking in the hours leading up to matches.
We will continue to engage on this topic, and speak out for all fans and the vast majority who drink responsibly, rather than just focusing on problem behaviours.
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