The Scottish FA is set to announce the head of its independent commission "as Hibs make a move against fans who brought shame to the Scottish Cup Final," according to Ralston & Stewart of the Scotland DAILY RECORD. The Easter Road club "slapped life bans" on a "number" of fans but is "refusing to say how many until after police and SFA investigations are completed." Hibs "vowed to work closely with the authorities to identify the thugs who brought chaos to Scottish football’s end-of-season showpiece but again stopped short of apologising to Rangers players after they were attacked on the pitch." Hibs CEO Leeann Dempster said, "While Police Scotland will continue their own inquiries we’ll continue to review what happened and take the action we think appropriate to protect the club’s good name." A spokesperson for the club "later refused to reveal how many bans had been issued" (DAILY RECORD, 6/1).
'STRICT LIABILITY' RULES: The DAILY RECORD reported Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said that the SFA "should toughen rules on fan misconduct or the Scottish Government will intervene." Matheson suggested that "strict liability" rules could be introduced to tackle incidents such as the disorder at the end of the Scottish Cup final. Following the SFA's AGM, Matheson said, "The scenes we saw at Hampden last week were appalling and the Scottish Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the disorder and violence which scarred the end of the game. But from those dreadful scenes there is an opportunity to address some of the negative long-standing issues in the game, and I want football to be proactive and seize that opportunity." He added, "I am encouraged by the initial response, but let me be absolutely clear: the Scottish Government is prepared to act if Scottish football isn't. On that basis we will explore alternative options if no solution can be delivered by football." UEFA uses the "strict liability" system. Under the rules, a club "is responsible for the conduct of its fans regardless of whether the club itself is to blame." Scottish clubs previously rejected attempts to introduce "strict liability" (DAILY RECORD, 6/1).
