Players and officials will face charges if they commit a criminal offence on the football pitch, one of Scotland’s most senior police officers has insisted.
Stephen House, chief constable of Strathclyde Police, was speaking after a major summit on the future of the sport was held on Tuesday in the aftermath of last week’s controversial clash between Rangers and Celtic.
The clubs agreed a six-point plan to address some of the issues raised by the ugly scenes during Celtic’s 1-0 victory on Wednesday, which saw 34 arrests in the stadium, three red cards and a row between Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist and Celtic boss Neil Lennon.
Players will receive pre-match briefings from the police reminding them of their “responsibilities” and further attempts will be taken to reduce alcohol consumption on the day of Old Firm games.
A new fixture schedule will also be explored and football banning orders will be extended to behaviour that occurs outside the stadium.
It is also proposed that a Scottish police football intelligence unit is created as part of the ongoing review of policing in Scotland and an academic study into the extent of the link between football and violence is commissioned.
A crackdown on sectarian abuse on websites was also unveiled.
Following the summit, Mr House said there was a noticeable “spike” in violent crime across the west coast of Scotland following Old Firm games.
He said the pre-match police briefing would likely be informal and take place on the training ground several days before the match.
Asked about arresting players on the pitch, he added that would be “an absolute last resort”.
However, he went on to say, “If they break the law, we will be looking to deal with it.”
The discussions between clubs, politicians and Strathclyde Police came amid calls for the fixture to be banned or played behind closed doors.
Both clubs described some of the debate following the fixture as “ill informed”, but pledged to work to resolve the situation. They also issued a joint statement saying they were “acutely aware” of their responsibilities.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said, “While many of the issues surrounding the Celtic v Rangers fixture have been blamed on the clubs, clearly there are a number of societal issues which need to be addressed. Celtic has and will continue to address these.”
Rangers chief executive Martin Bain added, “There are undoubtedly major issues for society in Scotland and with the best will in the world they cannot be blamed on a football club or cured by a football club. We will do everything we can to help.”
First Minister Alex Salmond, who chaired the meeting, also announced that £527,000 would be committed to anti-sectarian and anti-racist bodies.
“The meeting emphasises not just measures that can be taken in the short term — it emphasises the joint responsibility to envisage football as a force for good in Scottish society and the potential it has,” he said.
“I am sure that each and every one of us recognises that today is not the end of a process but very much the beginning of a series of action which will allow us to develop football as a force for good in Scotland.”