Scottish football authorities have been accused of sitting back as an impending pyro crisis threatens to blow up in their faces. Fears have been raised that fans could “suffer catastrophic phosphorous burns or worse” if nothing is done to stop the use of fireworks and flares in stadiums.
It is claimed that procedures set in place to combat fan use of pyrotechnics have all but been abandoned, despite a huge rise in incidents. Training regimes that were being formed after a panic over flares in 2016 have allegedly fallen by the wayside, as clubs and football authorities have failed to adopt any education or security initiatives to stem the rising tide.
We can also reveal that the recent Old Firm clash in the Viaplay Cup final at Hampden resulted in so many flares and rockets being set off in the stadium that a specialist pyro company was called in to safely remove the debris.
One senior security source said that, despite searches at turnstiles, the match resulted in more pyro material entering the ground than any previous match in Scottish history.
The source said: “There was stuff all over the stadium, including fireworks that hadn’t properly ignited and had to be professionally disposed of. A whole carload was taken off to be examined and disposed of safely.
“You could see from the videos that emerged that some of those firing rockets and throwing flares were barely old enough to legally buy fireworks yet there were police and stewards just watching themselves as though it was a normal part of the game.”
The source said that authorities like the SFA and SPFL, along with the major clubs, have done little to stop the rise of pyros among ultras groups and any hanger-ons.
He said: “There is an arms race going on, where groups can clearly be seen trying to outdo each other with bigger flags and hard hitting slogans - all with more flares and an intimidating atmosphere of smoke.
“That might be all well and good, in terms of containment, as long as no-one is seriously hurt. But at Hampden we could see fans clearly aiming rockets onto the pitch and possibly at rival supporters.
“That brings an inevitability that fans - quite possibly children, will suffer catastrophic phosphorous burns or worse. And that is when we will have the reaction, the inquest and the finger pointing and possibly a big inquiry to sort out the mess. We should not be letting it get to that stage.”
The source said security firms in 2016 had been trained in how to search for pyros and store them but the new standards had been abandoned. He added: “At Hampden, fans were searched on the way in but ultra groups know this is a cursory effort.
“They have launchers disguised as flagpoles and flares stuffed down trousers, whatever gets them in. They also turn up late, when there is a bigger priority on getting fans in for kick-off than on pyro safety and the energy ion the search has subsided.
“It is also easier than it ever has been to get pyros online, so you have a perfect storm brewing. On top of that you have scores of people in the ground covering up with balaclavas and masks.
“That should be no great obstacle to police, as CCTV can identify culprits and they could easily be pulled out at the end of the match or earlier if they are abusing fireworks.”
Former Scottish Police Federation chair David Hamilton echoed the accusations on apathy and tolerance of pyros. He urged for a formal public gathering of the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, the SFA, SPFL and other stakeholders to lay down a blueprint to tackle pyros.
Hamilton said local authorities should be seriously considering the withdrawal of ground safety certificates from big clubs when stadia are engulfed in smoke and rockets are being fired. And he said that the SFA should be instructing referees to take teams off the pitch when flares get out of hand and smoke is clearly being inhaled by supporters and players.
He said: “There are plenty of tools at our disposal as it stands and we should be having open discussions about what else we might consider. We should be nipping this in the bud but it seems there is no appetite to do that across the board, from football authorities to clubs. There is certainly more that police could be doing with existing powers too.
“We are seeing a rapid escalation before our eyes, with bigger and bigger displays and we are seeing rockets being aimed and fired in a way that courts catastrophe. There is a case to be made for a proper discussion, in the open, to establish primarily if there is any place for pyros within football grounds.
“That will be a rather short conversation, as there can be no credible argument for allowing incendiary devices to be detonated in confined crowds. The conversation then needs to look to what can be done, as there is an utter inevitability that there will be a catastrophe is due course if that doesn’t happen.”
The fear over flares was ignited after dozens of flares, strobes, smoke canisters and rockets were set off at the Old Firm Viaplay Cup final at Hampden in a crowd of 50,000 people on February 26. Less than a week later, a smoke bomb was hurled onto the pitch by an Aberdeen supporter, narrowly missing midfielder Ryan Duncan.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, head of Police Scotland's Operational Support, said: “We continue to be clear that football clubs have a responsibility to encourage their fans to act safely and responsibly.
“The safety and security at any event is the responsibility of the event organiser. If the organiser requests police support, a pre-planned policing operation is put in place and we work in partnership to support the delivery of a safe and secure event.
“If we can identify offenders and it is safe and proportionate to take action, we will arrest those responsible. On some occasions, particularly involving large crowds, it could create significantly greater disorder and it may not be safe to take action immediately.
“Taking pyrotechnics into a sporting stadium is a criminal offence. I’d ask people to think of the impact it could have on those around you, particularly people with medical conditions, young children and elderly.”
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