Stewart Regan says the SFA followed due process when investigating Cup final disorder

By Charles Paterson

Tuesday 25 October 2016 12:16, UK

The Scottish FA's chief executive has defended the governing body's handling of the investigation into the Scottish Cup final pitch invasion.

Stewart Regan told Sky Sports News HQ it was unfair to criticise because due process had been followed, and an independent review had examined all the details surrounding the disorder at Hampden Park in May.

Sheriff Edward Bowen QC was appointed by the Scottish FA to examine the trouble that took place on the pitch following Hibernian's dramatic 3-2 win over Rangers.

His official report, published in August, recommended that pitch invasions be made a criminal offence, but it was branded a "sham" by Rangers.

Asked if the Sheriff's report was a whitewash, Regan said, "This was an independent process, let's not forget that.

"We put in place an independent judicial system, we instigated an independent review by Sheriff Bowen, and he came back with a series of recommendations and those will be considered [at a board meeting in December]. So I think to use terms like whitewash is really unfair."

Following the Scottish Cup final, the long-standing debate of imposing strict liability within Scottish football re-emerged.

At the Scottish FA's AGM in June, days after the cup final pitch invasion, the Scottish Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson urged professional clubs to take more responsibility for their supporters' actions, or risk government intervention.

The debate was heightened further in September when Scottish FA disciplinary notices of complaint against both Rangers and Hibernian were dismissed by a judicial panel in September, after the panel decided there was nothing in the rulebook to warrant punishment.

Both clubs escaped football sanctions, after fans caused damage to goalposts, advertising hoardings and the Hampden Park playing surface during the pitch invasion.

Strict liability laws, which are in place during UEFA competitions and prevalent within English football, would likely have seen both clubs heavily sanctioned - but these laws will only be brought into Scottish football if the member clubs vote in favour of changing the current rules.

"We went there with strict liability in 2013 - as a members organisation there wasn't an appetite to put it in place", says Regan.

"To those people that say there are no sanctions or that no action [has been] taken, you've only got to look at 86 arrests after the Scottish Cup Final to say that the police are taking action.

"That's a huge number of arrests for a single sporting event, so I don't think anyone can say there's been no action taken against the perpetrators of those crimes.

"There is action when criminal behaviour is taking place, and as far as football actions are concerned we follow an independent process, and if the independent process states that no rule has been broken, then clearly it's not in our gift to take that any further forward."

Regan refused to be drawn on whether the Scottish FA's rules on fan behaviour were out of date and needed revising.

The next opportunity for clubs to alter Scottish football's internal rulebook will be at the Scottish FA's AGM next summer.

At June's most recent meeting, clubs passed a resolution tightening existing regulations on unacceptable conduct, placing greater emphasis on the responsibility of clubs in managing the behaviour of supporters, before, during and after a game.

The SPFL followed suit a month later - however these changes fell short of full strict liability regulations.

"The rules are the rules," Regan added. "We are a members' organisation, and we have rules in place that have been strengthened.

"It's a decision for the members; it's not for me or my colleagues on the board to make that decision. As a members' organisation it will be to the will of the members. They've said what they've felt back in 2013, and we remain in dialogue with the government about the actions we have taken to strengthen the guidelines.

"We talked about having a grown-up conversation back in January and that's taken place.

"Ourselves, the SPFL and the government have had several meetings to discuss the concept of unacceptable conduct, and both organisations have made changes to their rules to strengthen the guidelines recommending and implementing the fact that clubs have to take greater action before and after matches that have taken place."

Any future government intervention in Scottish football's affairs could potentially lead the Scottish FA into a dispute with FIFA. World football's governing body have previously imposed restrictions on national teams when their associations have been subjected to government interference.

Regan is confident that all parties within Scottish football are moving in the right direction when it comes to the behaviour of supporters.

"We're hopeful that the strengthening of the guidelines at the AGM will give the government some confidence that we are taking this matter seriously, and we hope we won't have a repeat of events like the Scottish Cup Final.

"We remain in dialogue with the Scottish Government; we had Michael Matheson speaking at the AGM asking both organisations and the members to take a responsible attitude, and I believe with the strengthening of the rules from both bodies we've actually done that.

"If there are criminal actions or breaches, then that's a police issue."

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