BAN THEM FOR LIFE
St Mirren promise to identify and punish sick fans who spat and threw coins at unconscious United supporter
ST MIRREN last night urged their own fans to help identify the ‘numerous’ individuals who spat and threw coins at an unconscious Dundee United supporter.
Oran Kearney’s struggling Paisley side were knocked out of the Scottish Cup after losing 2-1 at home last Saturday in a fiercely contested clash against Robbie Neilson’s Championship outfit.
But the game was marred when a fan of the Tannadice club suffered a serious head injury whilst celebrating the opening goal from Pavol Safranko.
As the stricken supporter was being escorted from the Simple Digital Arena by medics, he was targeted by sick Saints fans.
Last night, the Scottish Premiership’s basement side condemned the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour and vowed to hit those identified with lifetime bans.
In a statement, St Mirren said: ‘On Saturday a Dundee Utd supporter suffered a serious head injury after the away crowd surged forward after United’s first goal.
‘This is something we have warned our own support against on numerous occasions, so hopefully this will make people realise how dangerous this can be.
‘Given the seriousness of the injury, the decision was taken to remove the fan by the quickest means possible.
‘While the unconscious supporter was being removed, there were numerous people standing above who decided to spit and throw coins at him.
‘This is completely and utterly unacceptable. We cannot allow the actions of a very small number of fans to ruin the reputation of St Mirren Football Club.
‘Some of the people responsible were identified but, unfortunately, the quality of the CCTV footage of the incident is such that at this time we are unable to pursue this to the degree of certainty that would allow prosecution.
‘If we are able to clearly identify the culprits, regardless of what happens in a legal sense, they will be given a lifetime ban from our stadium.
‘We would ask anyone with any information or footage of the incident to contact the club on info@stmirren.com — any information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.’
Earlier this season, former Hibernian boss Neil Lennon was struck by a coin at Tynecastle and linesman Calum Spence was hit by one thrown by a Rangers fan at Livingston’s Tony Macaroni Arena.
Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos was also hit by a coin near the same area at the Simple Digital Arena after scoring to seal a 2-0 victory over St Mirren in October.
And Saints admit they are increasingly concerned by the behaviour of their fans this season, home and away.
The statement continued: ‘The police have been in dialogue with us over some incidents and behaviour that has taken place predominantly at away games.
‘This relates to a very small number of fans. However, it goes without saying that this negatively affects the reputation of the support as a whole.
‘Amongst other things, this has involved the setting off of flares, fireworks and smoke bombs, organising fights with opposition supporters and vandalism of public property. These are very serious allegations and seriously tarnish our club’s reputation.
‘While they are primarily a police issue, we are now seeing instances of this unacceptable behaviour at our home fixtures. For the avoidance of any doubt, antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated in ANY area of our stadium.’