Capital explosion a special case for SFA

Ian Paul

17 Sep 1990

SPORTS OPINION by IAN PAUL

VIOLENT behaviour by Scottish football fans has become something of a rarity in recent times, which is one reason why the disturbances at Easter Road on Saturday will be the subject of a searching investigation by the SFA.

Yet, while that has to be the correct official tack, it should be remembered that if ever there was an occasion when such an eruption could be foreseen the opening Hibs-Hearts derby of the season was it.

Perhaps someone who has been circumnavigating the world in a bottle could be excused for being surprised at what happened in the capital, but the rest of us went to the old Edinburgh ground with much trepidation.

The strength of feeling among many supporters of Hibs was such that the game against their old rivals had taken on a far greater import than that of a football match.

Even the sensible decision of the Hearts chairman, Wallace Mercer, to stay away was bound to remove only a visible target for the outraged Easter Road followers, who felt that Mercer had attempted to get rid of their beloved club in the guise of a take-over.

If ever there was an explosive situation that needed very little ignition, the first meeting of the city teams was it.

But despite the awareness of everybody concerned, the actions of two irresponsible fans sparked off a minor riot, the removal of the teams from the pitch, and further angry scenes at half-time.

By the end of a depressing afternoon more than 50 people had been arrested and 17 or so injured.

It was a reminder that no-one in Scotland can ever become complacent about fan behaviour.

Yet if the original incident had been contained quickly it is doubtful if there would have been the ugly scenes that followed.

The Hibs fan who ran menacingly on to the park after John Robertson scored the opening goal was restrained by the player himself, but when a Hearts fan appeared on the field to exact retribution, despite the attempts at peacekeeping by Andy Goram and others, the fuse was lit.

The critic's greatest ally is hindsight, of course, but it did seem odd that there was a delay in gathering a strong enough police presence to quell the trouble at the far corner of the ground.

It is there that the Hibs fans in the enclosure and the Hearts followers in the terracing come closest together and it is the place, presumably, which would be the most likely point of detonation.

There is no criticism from this observer of the police who worked hard to prevent even more of the invaders making their way on to the field, bearing in mind that they had to consider the danger of innocent spectators being crushed as fans surged towards the opening in the peripheral fence.

What might have been an error, although understandable, was the decision to take the teams from the field, where they remained for eight minutes.

The police seemed to have stemmed the tide at that point and maybe it would have been wiser to let the game carry on to give the miscreants something else to draw their attention.

All of these points are made not to offer any mitigation for the hooligans who destroyed a lengthening trouble-free record of which the game in Scotland had been proud.

Their behaviour was despicable and did nothing to encourage the new men who are trying to restore Hibs to a viable footing.

The club will meet police this week to discuss the trouble, but they will also be asked by the SFA to make a report.

Referee Jim McCluskey, whose composure and control in the difficult circumstances deserve commendation, will no doubt give a full and extended version of events, and in the end Hibs, who can ill afford it, might well be fined.

They may feel that there is little more they could have done, but it was their home match and, on past form, that will mean their accepting responsibility.

What is important, however, is that everybody in the game makes it clear that this event was a special case.

There were intimidating circumstances far beyond the normal rivalries that attend football derbies and the chances are that Scotland's hitherto good fan record can be resumed now that the capital furore has reached is unfortunate climax.

Taken from the Herald