Rule changes needed to tackle pitch attacks – Scottish FA

Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said Scottish football must try to adapt their rules and put an end to pitch invasions from fans.

The SPFL has launched disciplinary investigations into five fixtures where supporters took over the pitch, including two Premiership title games.

And an independent review of the scenes following Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Rangers – when supporters of both clubs rushed onto the pitch – is expected to deliver its findings next week.

Speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, Maxwell said the incident had moved from a rare, celebratory occasion to a more prevalent, dangerous problem.

And while trespassing is a criminal offense in England and Wales, it is not currently in Scotland.

“Football needs to come together to mitigate this,” he said. “We had a meeting this week and pitch intrusions were top of the agenda.

“We need to look at our rules – do they need to be amended, updated or changed? We all need to try and work with our clubs to understand what powers we have to stop this.

“Police have got a role to play and the SPFL has talked about legislation to criminalize trespassing and trespassing into stadiums.

“It will help, but it’s not something an organization is going to fix on their own. It’s going to take something from the police and the football authorities and the clubs to eradicate it.”