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McLeish urges self-discipline

2011-12-08 10:33:44

Henry McLeish wants all stakeholders in Scottish football to exercise self-discipline and remove the need for UEFA intervention in issues affecting the game

McLeish: bidding to fix Scottish game

Former first Minister McLeish’s call comes as Celtic wait to learn their fate after allegations the club’s fans indulged in some “illicit chanting” during the Europa League match against Rennes on November 3. UEFA will meet on Friday to discuss the matter.

Giving his update on his Review of Scottish Football, McLeish expressed the belief that self-discipline should augment a raft of measures by the government and the Scottish Football Association to make Scottish football a “family-friendly game”.

He said: “Clearly, we would like to have a nation that didn’t have UEFA getting involved in our game.

“But some of the issues affecting the Scottish game have been there for a very long time. They’re not going to disappear overnight.

“It seems to me there is a tougher regime within Hampden about bad behaviour.

“There is a move by the Government on one area, sectarianism, which will soon be an Act of the Scottish Parliament and implemented.

“All of that is important but the most important thing is that every manager, every player, every chairman, every board member, every fan associated with the game is responsible for their own actions.

“It’s a matter of self-discipline as well as a discipline exercised from on high.

“I don’t think UEFA’s involvement is damaging but we want to see a Scotland in the future where we have a family-friendly game and that means that some of the excesses we see in the Scottish game have got to be tackled.

“I believe they are being tackled.”