PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart today called on the SFA and SPFL to take action to stamp out the alarming rise in incidents of players having
objects thrown at them.
Celtic winger Scott Sinclair was nearly hit by a glass bottle that was thrown by a Hibernian supporter during the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final at Easter Road on Saturday.
Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd was struck on the arm by a coin that was hurled at him by a Celtic fan during a Ladbrokes Premiership match at Rugby Park last month.
Wishart urged the Scottish football authorities to address the issue urgently - before one of their members is seriously injured.
He said: “After this weekend’s incidents at Easter Road, we stress again that the throwing of objects at players, violence or any form of verbal abuse directed towards players must be taken seriously and we trust that the authorities will take the appropriate action to ensure that this dangerous practice is stopped.
“The continuing rise in incidents of this nature at football grounds across the country is alarming and must be addressed with the greatest of urgency. On the field, our members have been subjected to racist and sectarian abuse, physically assaulted and had coins and now a bottle thrown at them.
"Any form of abuse – physical or verbal – is wholly unacceptable and it is of paramount importance that something is done before someone is seriously hurt or maimed.
“The football pitch is a player’s place of work and it is not unreasonable for a player, like any other employee, to be able to work with the knowledge that their workplace is indeed a safe environment, free from violence and discrimination and that their health and safety is not at risk.
“We refer back again to the survey we conducted amongst our members in 2016 as part of a worldwide survey for the World Players Union FIFPro. Worryingly, 35% of those players surveyed said they had been threatened by fans (34% on a match day).”
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