Number of banning order for Hearts and Hibs fans revealed by FoI

The number of football banning orders dished out to Hearts and Hibs supporters has been revealed.

Police officers keep a close eye on Hibs fans during a game at Easter Road in 2019

Hibs fans have been issued with 141 football banning orders since they came into force in September 2006, according to a new Freedom of Information (FoI) request, while Hearts fans have been served with 51 in that period.

Football Banning Orders, or FBOs, were introduced in Scotland on September 1 2006 as part of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006.

Rangers fans topped the list in Scotland with 325 FBOs in total, while Celtic supporters were hit with 142 during the same time period.

Completing the top five clubs with the most banning orders for fans was Aberdeen with 44.

Most other top-flight clubs recorded between 10 and 20 FBOs, although Livingston and Ross County were not recorded as having had any banning orders dished out to fans in the 14-year period.

However, there are seven “unknown” entries included in the list.

Motherwell and Dundee United fans received 17 and 16 banning orders respectively while Hamilton had 12, Kilmarnock 11, and St Mirren 10.

Four St Johnstone supporters were recorded as having been served with FBOs in the same time frame.

Outwith the Scottish Premiership Ayr United and Falkirk both recorded 14 FBOs, with Dunfermline fans incurring 13 and Partick Thistle and Dundee ten each.

Airdrieonians (seven), Queen of the South (five), Raith Rovers (seven), and Russian side Spartak Moscow (six) all recorded more FBOs than St Johnstone.

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