The ban on the sale of alcohol in every Scottish football stadium is outdated. Unless you happen to be in a hospitality area, Scottish football fans cannot enjoy this simple pleasure. Ex Celtic striker, pundit and Last Word on Football’s Andy Walker, takes a look at the outdated reason why this law is still in force 45 years after it was brought in.
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Time to Reintroduce Alcohol to Scottish Football Stadiums
The ban on the sale of alcohol in Scottish Football stadiums is outdated. The alcohol ban in Scottish football was introduced in response to the frightening disorder which followed Celtic’s extra time win over Rangers in the 1980 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, 45 years ago. Mounted police charged across the pitch to separate fighting fans, and the scenes were truly horrific. It was an embarrassing episode for both clubs, and it portrayed Scottish football in a bad light.
Scottish Football Fans Can Cope With Alcohol
In the immediate aftermath, it was understandable that alcohol was banned from grounds if this was the way fans chose to behave. But surely everyone has moved on? Stadiums are much more comfortable now for men and women, and while you can consume alcohol at Hampden if you’re watching a concert or a rugby match, it is still against the law to have a drink if you’re there watching the football. In this day and age, it just doesn’t make sense.
Murrayfield or Hampden, There’s No Difference
I have been to Murrayfield to watch Scotland in the Six Nations rugby and it is a tremendous venue. The atmosphere can be electric. The rugby fans are passionate about the team and can roar and cheer to the same extent as football fans do. When I was there with friends, we all sat in our seats and enjoyed a taste of alcohol that added to the enjoyment of our matchday experience.
Bizarrely, I have also gone to Murrayfield to watch football games, but it would be against the law for me to consume any alcohol in my seat or on the concourse. Thousands of people have also been to concerts in Murrayfield and enjoyed the taste of alcohol but football fans are forbidden from it. There is simply no logic to this.
Scottish Government Take Tough Stance on Sale of Alcohol at Football Stadiums
The ban on the sale of alcohol in Scottish Football stadiums is outdated. From a government point of view, I recognise that as a nation, Scotland has a problem with alcohol misuse. No one wants to encourage drinking alcohol to excess, but given that every football stadium in England allows the consumption of alcohol in the concourse, it beggars belief that Scots aren’t afforded that same option.
Alcohol Does Add Tension to Football Rivalry
If the police were to highlight their concerns of fans drinking excess alcohol at a game involving clubs with huge support, it’s something we might be able to understand. We can all recognise that sometimes, alcohol can act as a catalyst for aggression. Football fans can be tribal and many games are deemed to be high risk in terms of allowing rival fans to get too close to each other. Putting alcohol in the mix can add to the tension.
A Trial for Lower Risk Games
Surely there could be a trial of the sale of alcohol in Scotland at low-risk matches? The top clubs in the Scottish Premiership attract big crowds and no one is asking the police and stewards to control unruly groups of supporters. It’s only recently that the hierarchy at Celtic and Rangers could reach an agreement that away fans be allowed entry to this high-profile fixture after a ban that lasted two years. Maybe the Edinburgh derby and a few other high-profile fixtures would also be deemed high risk, but it’s ludicrous when Ross County play Motherwell that neither group of fans can enjoy a beer or two.
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Supporters Feel Demonised
The ban on the sale of alcohol in Scottish Football stadiums is clearly outdated. The idea that you can only be trusted with a drop of alcohol because you pay extra to be in a hospitality suite or that fans of rugby are somehow better behaved is just absurd. A growing number of Scottish football fans have argued that a two-tier system of support exists in the country.
Alcohol is freely sold in hospitality suites in every league, but ordinary fans are denied this simple pleasure and feel demonised. The only way to remove this out-of-date ban is to trial it at some games. The vast majority of fans can behave themselves with a drink or two, and it’s time this out-of-date ban was addressed.
