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DETAILED figures released today show a dramatic increase in the number of football fans charged under the SNP's Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.

Rangers fans come out the worst, accounting for 25 per cent of the total charges brought under the legislation, although that figure doesn't take account of their massive fan base.

It's also a fall from previous years. In the 2014/15 figures the proportion of the total charges connected to Rangers fans was 30 per cent.

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Ibrox was also the football stadium with the highest proportion of charges brought, with 17 per cent of the total alleged offences taking place there. Morton’s Cappielow Park was the second highest, with 8 per cent

Nine per cent of the charges brought under the act in 2015/16 related to Celtic fans, with Hearts and Kilmarnock fans also making up 9 per cent of the rap sheet.

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Some 22 per cent of the offensive behaviour was based on religion.

Within that subset, 87 per cent of the charges related to religious hatred against Catholics.

A total of 73 of the 181 charges related to abusive singing, with 2015/16 being the first year that no fans in Scotland were charged for an offensive banner.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are the areas with the highest proportion of charges per 100,000 people, although those are the areas that draw the largest crowds.

Half of the total charges occurred at a football stadium, an increase of 4 per cent on last year. There was a massive increase in charges taking place on public transport – 23 per cent of charges compared to just 5 per cent last year.

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The age group of the accused also show that those between 16-20 are most likely to be charged, with 42 per cent of charges relating to that age group.

The match between Hearts and Kilmarnock in October of last year was the game with the highest amount of offences, with 20 fans charged.

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Reacting to the figures, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The recent appalling scenes at the Scottish Cup final demonstrated that the unacceptable behaviour of a minority of football fans continues to be a problem.

"An increase in the number of charges under the Offensive Behaviour Act shows that the legislation continues to be an important tool in tackling all forms of offensive behaviour, including sectarianism, and sends a clear message that such behaviour has no place in a modern, open and inclusive society.

"I have asked Scottish football to take further steps to address this long-standing issue and I expect to see progress on this imminently."

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But Tory Justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: "“From the SNP’s perspective, this is a brilliant law whether the number of charges is high or low.

“But the truth is it’s unpopular with fans and has been criticised by the courts.



“When the number of charges went down it celebrated the legislation and now, after a 50 per cent hike, it still seems to think the law’s working a treat.

“It’s bad and unnecessary legislation and it needs to be scrapped now.”