Mindless few overshadow great charity work of our football fans - Steve Cardownie

Big Hearts volunteer Scott Troup, left, and volunteer support officer Pauline Fraser, right, are joined by SGN's Margaret Hamilton, centre, and Fiona Taylor and Ruth Mason from the SPFL Trust

Aberdeen FC was forced to issue an apology to a St Mirren fan with additional support needs after he was targeted by an abhorrent chant from some Aberdeen supporters at a recent game in Paisley.

The club issued a statement declaring that “The chant is totally unacceptable and not befitting the outstanding Aberdeen support that we experience from the vast majority, both at Pittodrie and on the road.”

Police Scotland is investigating the incident as a hate crime as St Mirren FC posted “The club will work with Aberdeen FC and relevant authorities to identify the persons responsible.”

The recent encounter between Rangers and Celtic was not without controversy either as Rangers fans unfurled a huge banner depicting former player and manager, Graeme Souness, aiming a double-barrelled shotgun with the words “Take aim against the rebel scum” at the Celtic contingent in Ibrox stadium.

In addition, a bottle was thrown into the Celtic penalty box which is also now the subject of police enquiries.

Police Scotland has also confirmed that they are studying footage of a Celtic supporter at the game who appeared to be mocking the deaths of 66 Rangers fans in the 1971 Ibrox disaster.

This prompted Rangers to release a statement condemning the bottle throwing incident and making it clear that the club did not approve of the image on the banner.

These are just the latest examples of unacceptable behaviour from some football fans which only tarnishes the sport and undermines the excellent charitable work being undertaken by supporters throughout Scotland and which often does not receive the recognition it deserves.

For instance, fans regularly organise fundraising events and make significant donations to various charities and have also been active in local community work, helping the aged, infirm and disadvantaged in their areas.

In Edinburgh, we have Big Hearts, the registered charity operating from Tynecastle Park. Their mission statement reads “Big Hearts Community Trust is an award-winning charity dedicated to supporting families in need and vulnerable groups……we harness the power of the Heart of Midlothian badge to build and deliver high quality support services around mental health, equality and social isolation.”

Hibernian FC also operates a Community Foundation which encourages fans to fundraise, volunteer and donate, its website stating that “When the club was first formed in 1875 the funds raised from games were used to support the local community. These values are as alive today in the Community Foundation as they were almost 150 years ago.”

The Spartans FC’s Community Foundation’s aim is to support children, young people and families in North Edinburgh. ” It offers a range of programmes including youth work, education, health and wellbeing initiatives and football development.”

Edinburgh City FC actively promotes diversity and treats everyone equally, regardless of their background and is also looking at establishing an Edinburgh Charitable Trust “which could indicate future charitable initiatives.”

So, although fans misbehaviour cannot be condoned and will inevitably capture the attention of the media, it is important to get it into perspective.

Football fans throughout Scotland work tirelessly to support local community initiatives and we should not lose sight of this next time we see a bottle thrown on to a pitch!