You Cannot Blame The Scottish Government For the Fact The SFA Is Run by Idiots

The Herald has this week ran a piece by its Chief Football Writer, which is a straight rant at the Scottish Government, for simply floating the notion that “Strict Liability” for the behaviour of their fans might be imposed on Scotland's football clubs – perhaps as a means of taking OBFA off the statute book.

Matthew Lindsay, the current holder of the post of Chief Football Writer for the Herald goes on, in his article, to make it clear, in his view this is a load of keech. Well, Matthew is Scottish football's undoubted expert on keech – he's been writing it for years where Rangers is concerned. In my view, were the fabled position of Right Worthy Master of the Lap Top Loyal ludge to exist, Mr Lindsay would be the holder of that position.

As I have said, often, Offensive Behaviour at Football is not the preserve of the Old Firm clubs, collectively or individually, but, there are more fans of these clubs, so, it stands to reason, they are likely to have more bams than any other clubs, bams who are liable to indulge in offensive behaviour at football.

Professional football is a branch of the entertainment industry. As such, football clubs are liable to uphold certain standards of behaviour. For instance, if the police are repeatedly called to a pub, because there are fights there every night, or even every weekend, at closing time – it would not be long before, when that pub's application to renew their licence came up, the Polis would be objecting, on the grounds of repeated bad behaviour.

If there is evidence of repeated drug-taking, fighting and anti-social behaviour at a club or dance hall, again, the Polis will object and, if the case is strong enough – the licence goes.

Funnily enough, in spite of one set of fans seemingly glorying in the late Dan Archer's description of them as: “A constant embarrassment and occasional disgrace”. In spite of the proven spike in assaults, admissions to A&E, incidences of wife-beating etc, which follows Old Firm games, not to mention the high arrest rates both inside and outside the grounds at such games – we never hear of Ibrox or Celtic Park being threatened with closure. Football has been treated as a special case, and has had an easy ride for generations.

Generations of youngsters in Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Dundee etc., have been taken by their fathers to watch their local team playing – but, have not, until their Dad considers them old enough, been taken to games when the Old Firm comes calling – their excesses have been tolerated, for far too long.

And, before the Celtic Family seize the moral high ground here, I would refer them to the wise counsel of Rev Stuart Campbell, who runs the excellent pro-independence website, Wings Over Scotland. The Rev, who is an avowed Aberdeen fan maintains: “75% of the Rangers support are knobheads, only about 50% of the Celtic support are thus”. Loath though I am to disagree with the Rev, I feel his percentages are a bit low there.

When OBFA was brought in, the majority of the fans of the “diddy” teams supported it – the opposition came mainly from the Old Firm. This hardened somewhat once the Celtic fans realised, the Act was not designed to catch the bad guys who followed Rangers, but, could also capture the Celtic lunatic fringe.

Every club has its lunatic fringe, again, I state the obvious, the Old Firm's lunatic fringe is bigger, so, if OBFA can weed them out first, it is win-win.

That said, OBFA is flawed Law, badly-drafted, hurriedly-introduced, but, it is better than nothing. We are now beginning to see the flaws in OBFA, so, perhaps the time is right to review it, or tweak it. For myself, I honestly believe, “strict liability” is the way ahead, because, it would force the clubs, particularly the Bigot Brothers, to finally, get off their erses and do something about their: “constant embarrassment and occasional disgrace”.

Let us assume, “strict liability” is brought in. Let us also assume, and this one is harder for me to get my head round – that the will exists within the Hampden corridors of power to make SL work. The first match day in which SL applies – the fans of a certain Glasgow club reprise their favourite ditty of the moment, that one about being up to their knees in a scarlet bodily fluid emitting from persons who follow the Roman Catholic faith.

This community singing is considered to be offensive, and the club is fined. The following week, it happens again – again the club is fined. It happens a third time, but, this time, instead of fining the club, they are deducted three points. I suggest, it would not be long before the club took action to ban the miscreants.

As I have said before, the community singing is perhaps more prevalent at away games, where the ticket allocation tends to be distributed via organised Supporters Clubs. Since the technology exists today to pin-point where the choristers are sitting – it would be easy to discover to which SC they belonged. A warning letter to the secretary of that club, followed by, if it happens again – a ban on that club's members getting tickets – problem solved in jig time.

The football clubs and the game's wider authorities would need to do a bit of work to rid the game of the lunatic fringe, but, it could be done. Again, however, I question if the will to act is there.