The World's Game

January 28, 2012

From the New York Times, suggestions that the Scottish government is taking a much firmer hand in sectarian-related chants and violence surrounding the game:

Under the new legislation, people convicted of soccer-related sectarian behavior would face unlimited fines and as many as five years in prison. The law covers not only what happens in stadiums, but also behavior in pubs, encounters before and after games and Internet postings.

The already ubiquitous police will be given an extra 1.8 million pounds to form a “football intelligence unit,” the government said. Its officers will patrol stadiums carrying cameras and recording devices, keeping the peace and gathering evidence for later use.

“Clearly, you can’t go and arrest a large group of fans if they start singing a song in a football ground, as it could lead to mass disorder,” said the government spokesman, who asked that his name not be used, in keeping with government policy. But the police would be “targeting ringleaders and others involved in this behavior — then arresting them afterwards,” he said.

What this means for fans, steeped in the verbal rough-and-tumble that is an integral part of Scottish soccer, is murky.

6:04am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZoH2IyFVE1rn
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(Notes: 36)