Raith Rovers fans have called on the club to support the introduction of ‘strict liability’ in Scottish football following reports of sectarian singing by Rangers fans last week.
The SPFL launched a probe into the issue after chants were heard during the Raith v Rangers match at Stark’s Park last Friday night, and subsequently included in the match delegate’s report.
However, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said it was likely no action would be taken if clubs could prove they did everything they could to prevent such singing.
Despite that though, the Raith Supporters Trust have urged Scottish football’s hierarchy to follow Uefa’s lead on the matter by operating a policy of strict liability, where clubs are held responsible for the behaviour of their fans.
Sanctions can include fines, closing sections of a club’s home ground, docking points and, in extreme cases, games played behind closed doors.
In an open letter to club chairman Alan Young, Trust chairman Alan Russell described the level of sectarian singing during the recent Rangers match as “completely unacceptable” and “not the kind of atmosphere which supporters of our club wish to be exposed to”.
“Regrettably, this, and other offensive behaviour, is not a new problem for Scottish football,” he added.
“It is the latest in a long line of incidents which continue to blight our game and numerous initiatives by the football authorities and clubs have failed to eradicate this hatred from Scottish football.
“Simply leaving it to individual clubs and hoping it goes away has proved to have failed.
“Raith Rovers FC has in recent years taken the lead on the future of the Scottish game and issues of sporting integrity.
“This has improved the reputation of Raith Rovers and given our support an even greater sense of pride in this great club.
“We hope that you can further enhance this by supporting our call for proposals to introduce strict liability to be brought forward as soon as possible and voting in favour of it.”
Rangers released a statement on the issue earlier this week and said their position on anti-social behaviour at football grounds was “abundantly clear”.
“The club is committed to eradicating all forms of inappropriate behaviour and continues to work tirelessly via the club’s Follow with Pride campaign, and supports all initiatives aimed at tackling this problem,” it concluded.