Scottish football expresses concern at proposed new rules for fans travelling on public hire vehicles

Scottish football’s leading bodies have expressed concern over proposed new rules for fans travelling to matches on public hire vehicles, which have been issued by the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain.

A joint statement issued on behalf of the Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, and Scottish Women’s Premier League said: “There’s no evidence that this is a significant problem in Scottish football. We are concerned by the targeted nature of these proposals which serve to demonise football fans and interfere unnecessarily in people’s lives.

“In Scotland, there are already appropriate powers held by PHV operators, Police Scotland and other partners to deal effectively with a very small number of incidents by a minority of fans.

“The consultation itself notes that the majority of football fans are law-abiding and do not cause any disturbances when travelling to or from games, yet these proposals would unfairly affect the vast majority of football fans who travel safely and respectfully to and from matches on a weekly basis.

“We don’t support these unnecessary and heavy-handed proposals and we will be making our views clear in the consultation.”