In the latest example of poor fan behaviour in Scotland, Hearts defender James Penrice was struck by a missile thrown from the Hibs section of the Easter Road crowd in last weekend’s Edinburgh derby. Sadly, it’s not an unusual sight to behold in Scotland where several Derby matches in the Scottish Premiership have been marred by unsavoury incidents in recent seasons.
Unacceptable Fan Behaviour in Scotland
Players Targeted
I was covering this showpiece occasion last season at Tynecastle when Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland had numerous objects – including a lighter and a bottle opener – launched at him. But because a pie was also thrown, this grabbed the headlines given that he caught it and took a large bite from it. I dread to think of the consequences if the heavy bottle opener had struck him on the head or face.
I can also remember a Hearts fan punching Hibs defender Marijan Cabraja at Tynecastle in May 2023. Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane was also struck by a lighter thrown by Hibs fans at Easter Road in August 2022.
Celtic and Rangers Fan Problems
In Glasgow, Celtic and Rangers have had their fan problems too. Last April in a league game at Ibrox, a bottle landed near the feet of former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley after he scored a penalty. I was at the game in April 2022 when a Celtic physiotherapist was hit on the head by a glass bottle. Unbelievably, several pieces of glass also had to be removed from the penalty area before the start of the second half as Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart brought it to the attention of the referee.
Diluting Quality of Best Scottish Fixture
In recent seasons, ticket allocation for away fans has been slashed with both sets complaining of objects being thrown at them throughout the 90 minutes. No one should have to put up with that level of intimidation at any football match.
Having played in numerous Old Firm derbies, it was undoubtedly the most extraordinary fixture I played in and it’s a great pity that both clubs now choose to ban the attendance of any away fans. Diluting the quality of what I believe to be Scotland’s most attractive fixture seems to be what both clubs want instead of finding a solution to have opposing fans present and for them to feel safe.
Use of Pyrotechnics a Big Concern
These incidents are part of a growing list of unacceptable fan behaviour that extends to the use of pyrotechnics inside various grounds. Only last month, UEFA acted against Celtic and Rangers for the illicit use of pyrotechnics by both sets of supporters in their recent European ties. Naturally, the clubs have pleaded with their fans to stop letting off fireworks for fear of the governing body hitting them with a more severe punishment.
During their heavy loss to Borussia Dortmund, Celtic were fined almost £17,000 for the lighting of fireworks inside the stadium. This is nothing new to a Celtic board that has had to accept around a dozen fines over the years for various misdemeanours.
UEFA Quick to Punish
During their recent four-one defeat to Lyon in the Europa League, Rangers were fined around £11,500 for a firework display in the opening half of the game that fell on the back of a £16,000 fine for a similar incident in the earlier away fixture in Malmo.
Interim chairman John Gilligan fears the punishments will only increase in scale unless the pyrotechnics stop. “My message is the use of pyrotechnics must stop and stop now at all of our matches home and away”.
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We all remember last season at Dens Park Dundee when the game had to be delayed for eighteen minutes after Rangers fans let off flares in the stands. Dens Park was engulfed in smoke; a fire alarm was set off and the players were forced off the pitch.
The simple truth is it’s becoming a dangerous problem that is escalating.
Scotland National Team Show Terrific Example
All of these incidents are in complete contrast to what we saw with tens of thousands of Scotland fans across Germany last summer in the European Championships.
Philipp Lahm, former captain of Bayern Munich and Germany, was a tournament director for Euro 2024 and couldn’t praise the behaviour of the Scots fans highly enough. He said: “They did everything right. They marched through Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart singing. Even in cities where they weren’t playing, they infected everyone with their good humour.”
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When asked after the group stages what bothered him most about the Euros, he said, “The Scots have already gone home”.
According to the German media outlet RTL, the Scots were officially voted as the best supporters at the competition. I can vouch for the passion and humour of the Scotland fans, but we have to take these recent incidents very seriously. Club football has a different dynamic to the national team, but we should not accept this level of poor behaviour.
