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Daily Record
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Scotland's football clubs call for crackdown on pyro carrying hooligans
Football clubs are calling for tough new measures to combat the growing menace of flares being let off during games. SCOTTISH football clubs have called for tougher action against fans caught bringing pyrotechnics into football grounds. It comes after it was revealed only five football banning orders (FBOs) were handed out between August and February this season despite the widespread use of the toxic flares at stadiums. A Scottish Government working group set up last year has now recommended that existing f football banning order be strengthened to tackle the growing problem of flares being set off at matches. Pyros can burn at temperatures of 3000C which can pose dangers to people nearby wearing flammable clothing. Stuart Murphy, chief executive of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, believes more football banning orders would deter the use of pyrotechnics But he says that the clubs need to engage with fans' groups who are taking them into the grounds. He added: "In the interests of safety we support a tightening up of the football banning orders. But there needs to be a better consultation with these groups." " The proposal is that any fan caught with a pyro or who sets one off is given an automatic ban from football grounds when they appear in court and are sentenced. At present the imposition of any ban is at the discretion of a sheriff and not mandatory. Just five FBOs were issued between August and February this season. This is down from 37 in the 2023-24 season and 59 in 2022-23 and is a small percentage of those requested by the police. Former Scottish Football Association security chief Peter McLaughlin says he has seen the problem get worse recently. He said: "It's maybe going to take somebody to be seriously injured or killed by a pyro before the authorities sit up and take notice." Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, lead for Operational Support, said: "Taking pyrotechnics into a sporting stadium is not only a criminal offence but also incredibly dangerous. Football banning orders can be instrumental in helping us keep fans, players and our communities safe." " Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A SPFL spokesperson said: "We welcome the increased use of FBOs as a deterrent to the use of these pyrotechnics in stadiums - they are illegal and have no place in our game." A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We condemn the irresponsible and dangerous use of pyrotechnics."
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Widnes eye double boost from Warrington cup derby
Widnes Vikings are hoping the Challenge Cup derby against Warrington Wolves this weekend could help them push for the Championship two teams meet for the first time since the Vikings were relegated from Super League in 2018 and executive chairman Stuart Murphy says the revenue the game will generate could make a big difference to their DCBL Stadium could host over 6,000 fans, with the club having to take the West Stand out of mothballs in order to accommodate the interest in the fourth-round tie, with Widnes already battling their way past Rochdale Hornets and North Wales Crusaders to land the plum one-time world champions have fallen on hard times and were rescued from oblivion in 2019 by a consortium which included Wiganer Murphy, who freely admits he still watched his home-town club as well as being committed to the told BBC Radio Merseyside that Saturday's game could be a catalyst for a successful season, with the team having won two out of three Championship matches this season despite a crippling injury list."It's astronomical," he said. "Our average gate brings us £10,000 in. In terms of this game, we've got an awful lot of cost to put it on and get this stand (West Stand) operational etc but in terms of gate receipts, although it's a shared gate with Warrington, we'll probably get more money through the door for this game than we will for the rest of the season." 'Hoping for higher' Murphy said the club "operated really stringently" last year to make sure they remained in the black, "because we needed it for IMG points and everything else. We stayed in the black by under £1,000," he added."We've already been hit by injuries this year that are costing us thousands to get sorted so it's a comfort blanket but also gives (coach) Allan (Coleman) the ability to have more loan players available, or get more players signed on until the end of the year."We were in the frame for challenging anyway. It does give us the ability, if we can get some players in on loan, or some signed for the back end of the year, to challenge."We came fifth last year and are hoping for higher again this year."The lure of playing Super League title challengers Warrington, based just seven miles away, has grabbed the interest of a town which once boasted a team containing greats of the game like Martin Offiah, Alan Tait and Jonathan Davies, and which became the first official World Club champions in 1989-90."We've surpassed 4,200 tickets as of this morning and Warrington have requested more so we've opened additional blocks. I'm hoping that we'll be getting 5,500 to 6,500 people here on Saturday," said Murphy.
