Rising levels of cocaine abuse are helping fuel the recent violence and disorder witnessed throughout Scottish football, a Mail Sport investigation can reveal.
Research has proven that cocaine has now moved ahead of alcohol as the chief safety concern for police and security officials at Scottish football matches.
One source told Mail Sport that drug abuse is now ‘endemic’ among younger supporters, particularly the so-called ‘Ultras’ sub-culture.
It comes on the back of the shameful scenes at the weekend when Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie was hit by a chair thrown by his own supporters in a match at Tannadice.
That was the latest and most high-profile instance of fan disorder at matches throughout Scotland over recent weeks and months.
It follows from pitch invasions and violence in games between Partick Thistle and Ayr United, as well as a glass bottle being thrown at Celtic keeper Viljami Sinisalo in an Old Firm match at Ibrox.
Cocaine use has been on the increase at football matches over the last few years
Seven Premiership clubs have been made aware of drug misuse inside their grounds
Mail Sport can reveal that at least seven clubs in the Scottish Premiership this season have been made aware of concerns about drug misuse inside their stadiums and, more specifically, in toilet cubicles.
There have even been some reports of fans claiming to have witnessed the drug being taken openly on the terraces rather than in toilets.
Our investigation was also told of group chats on WhatsApp being used to organise drop-offs and deliveries of the drug outside stadiums.
One source told Mail Sport: ‘Cocaine is now endemic among a lot of younger fans.
‘I would estimate somewhere between 50 to 75 per cent of these Ultras groups are coked-up at most matches.
‘Violence in the 70s and 80s wasn’t as organised as it is now. Social media has been a massive help for these Ultras groups.
‘It’s become fashionable again among young fans to be an ultra. Even Junior clubs have their own Ultras. It’s a fashion. These young guys all wear the same clothes. They are just sheep.’
Police are continuing to hunt the culprit who threw the chair at MacKenzie last weekend, an incident which left the Dons star with a serious facial injury.
Scottish football has a crisis on its hands with how it deals with growing levels of disorder among supporters.
Politicians and governing bodies have thus far shown a reluctance to get involved and have instead chosen to wash their hands of the issue.
But, as the spectre of strict liability looms over our game, it’s drug abuse which is behind much of the disorder.
A leading academic who has researched the issue extensively, Dr Richard Purves believes cocaine has now moved ahead of alcohol as the chief safety concern on match-days.
‘With the rise of the Ultras groups in recent years, the age profile of these supporters has definitely lowered,’ said Dr Purves, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Stirling.
‘I’ve spoken to police, to safety officials, and to people involved in football’s governing bodies about it.
‘These younger fans can literally be kids as young as 13 or 14 in some instances. We’re not talking about guys in their mid-to-late 30s anymore.
‘From our research, a chief concern for police and safety officers around football matches in Scotland is now around the use of drugs.
‘They told us that alcohol is longer their main concern. It is now more common for cocaine to be a bigger problem and concern on match-days.
‘It’s much easier to smuggle a bag of cocaine into a football match than it is to carry a glass bottle.
‘What we don’t yet know is what the direct effects are from cocaine with regards to disorder.
Dr Richard Purves has been researching the increase in cocaine use
‘There’s just not enough research on that yet, but, clearly, you can see why some people would associate the two.
‘Given the rise in young people taking cocaine in wider society, it’s logical to believe that extends to football.
‘Football doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It reflects wider society. There has been a significant rise in cocaine use over the past decade.
‘It is more normalised now for people to take cocaine, quite often alongside and mixed with alcohol.
‘The UK has one of the highest cocaine rates in Europe in terms of people using it. It’s just so much cheaper and more accessible now than ever before.’
The issue of pyrotechnics also has inextricable links to the rise of the Ultras sub-culture, something which the SPFL are looking to address.
‘Pyro always comes up now as one of the chief concerns in any discussions with the SPFL and governing bodies,’ added Purves.
‘They are looking at ways to mitigate the risk. Safe pyro is something which has been mentioned in the past.
‘It might look great on TV or whatever, but the reality is that this stuff is very dangerous. I think it’s hard to overlook that.’
