A fan survey commissioned by the SFA and SPFL has revealed 89 per cent of Scottish football fans have witnessed sectarianism, while the percentage of those who have seen racism, sexism and homophobia have shown significant increases in the past two years.

This season’s survey, the second of a three year study, tracked progress against the three themes identified in previous years: value for money, fan engagement, and the supporter experience.

It shows worrying trends when it comes to discrimination that suggests the game has serous issues to contend with.

While a huge number of supporters revealed they had witnessed sectarianism , a significant a mount had also seen other worrying behaviours.

Racism (63 per cent), physical abuse (57 per cent) and homophobia (51 per cent), sexism (50 per cent) and disability discrimination (19 per cent) all show slight increases on last year while both homophobia and sexism have sharply increased since 2017

Half of respondents claimed to be the victims of sectarianism and 19% of physical abuse.

(Image: Daily Record)

Alan Russell, Supporters Direct Scotland’s chief executive stressed there is a growing sense that such behaviors must be consigned to the dustbin of history.

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He said: “Scottish football is seen to be an inclusive place for people of all backgrounds, but we still have problems with discrimination.

"These may not always be widespread, but they are unacceptable.

"Levels of sectarian and racist abuse remain very high and have increased slightly, but most worrying are sharp rises in sexism and homophobia in recent years.

"There is a growing acknowledgement that there is no place for these behaviours in Scottish football, but action needs to keep up with these changing attitudes.

Another key aspect of the report is in its findings that kick-off times has now usurped ticket costs as the key factor influencing match attendance for the first time.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell stressed the importance of acknowledging fans discontent over kick-off times and pledged to work to solve the issue.

He said: “The annual Scottish Football Supporters survey has again provided invaluable insight on what matters most to the fans. These results will help the SFA shape our focus as we strive to provide the best experience possible for supporters.

“One of the key takeaways from this survey is that kick-off times are high on the list of priorities for fans. While it is important to note that kick-off times for Scotland national team matches are dictated by UEFA , we will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that as many fans as possible can attend matches across Scotland to enjoy our national game.”

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster hailed the report and its findings as "invaluable".

He said: "As we enter the final year of this three-year study, it is very interesting to see how supporter feedback has developed over the last 24 months. It is also very encouraging to see almost 4000 supporters engaging with this year’s survey.

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“Insight like this is invaluable as we constantly look for new ways to improve the Scottish game and assist our member clubs in developing and growing the positive aspects of their own matchday experience.

"Almost 4.5 million supporters attended matches across all four divisions last season, a figure that pays testament to the work being done by the clubs to make Scottish football as attractive as possible to supporters.”