NEIL DONCASTER has revealed why the SPFL won’t fine The Rangers after Sunday’s sickening events. Multiple objects were thrown at Celtic players and staff, with the physio requiring urgent medical treatment.
This is disappointing news for Celtic fans who were hoping to see their rivals punished for the events that unfolded on Sunday. Instead, the individuals will be tracked down and dealt with by Police Scotland.
UEFA often takes matters like this seriously and imposes fines and stadium closures. However, the SPFL does not act in this way.
At the time of writing, approaching four days after the derby, there has been no apology from the Ibrox side, and their silence is deafening regarding the issue.
Speaking to the Times, the Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Professional Football League said;
“Strict liability simply does not work, as the repeated fines for specific clubs in UEFA competitions season after season demonstrate very clearly. The answer must be far harsher and targeted punishments for the individuals who perpetrate the crime, including a more regular use of football banning orders and, where necessary, custodial sentences.
“There are two main forms of strict liability which have been proposed and neither of them will work. The first is to punish the home club for any transgressions in their ground, whether it’s by the away fans or home fans. Unfortunately, this will act as an incentive for some away fans to misbehave, knowing the home clubs will suffer the punishment for their actions. It will inevitably result in clubs refusing to sell tickets to away fans, with the obvious detrimental impact on our game.
“The second is to make clubs strictly liable for the behaviour of their fans at away matches and this will simply lead to clubs refusing to sell their fans tickets for other grounds, for fear of being punished if they misbehave.
“The significant investment by clubs in CCTV technology means it’s far easier to spot and act on incidents caused by the tiny minority of fans who misbehave. Clubs, footballing authorities and the overwhelming majority of decent fans abhor the actions of those who engage in criminal acts at games. It’s only by targeting these individuals directly and punishing them to the full extent of the law that we will provide a meaningful and effective deterrent.”
If the CCTV is there, why haven’t we seen or head arrests from Sunday, we’re reaching the end of the week.
The police are investigating the matter, asking witnesses to step forward. However, they only asked people to step forward with information about the incident where the glass was thrown at Joe Hart’s goal, not Celtic’s physio.
Hopefully, The Rangers CCTV has captured enough footage of individuals to prosecute them.
