East Fife condemn ‘ultras’ from Montrose and Raith Rovers over violent attacks on home fans
A Fife football club has condemned violent incidents which left fans injured at their game yesterday after so-called ‘Ultras’ from two clubs teamed up to cause mayhem.
The incidents happened at the game between East Fife and Montrose when the group, made up of visiting fans and, allegedly, Raith Rovers ultras, made its way to the home end of the ground and “engaged in violent and indiscriminate behaviour, causing a state of alarm and attacking home supporters.”
In a statement, East Fife said: “Shortly before half-time during yesterday’s match against Montrose, we were made aware that a small minority of Montrose supporters – ‘ultras’ – had been joined in the stadium by a larger group who associated themselves with Raith Rovers.
“At half-time, this group left the ‘visitors’ section of the stadium and made their way towards the ‘home’ end, where the gates had been routinely opened to allow home supporters to exit temporarily for smoking breaks. This group then engaged in violent and indiscriminate behaviour, causing a state of alarm and attacking home supporters.”
The club said several supporters needed medical attention, but added: “Thankfully, we understand the damage is not serious, and we hope they have not suffered any lasting psychological impact.” East Fife stressed it had no prior intelligence to suggest any risk of such an incident on Saturday.
The club added: “Our colleagues at Montrose FC were equally shocked and upset by what unfolded. We would like to thank our supporters for the restraint shown under severe provocation. We also wish to recognise the efforts of our directors, our security team and the Montrose Supporters’ Liaison Officer to safeguard our fans when under threat and while awaiting the arrival of police officers.” The club is reviewing CCTV footage to identify those responsible, and will forward any footage to Police Scotland. It also asked any fans with additional video evidence please send it to our Security Officer, Steven Brandon, via email at [email protected].
Please be assured that we are committed to ensuring Bayview Stadium continues to be a safe and welcoming environment for all who visit.
> The incident comes just days after Raith Rovers revealed the ‘Ultras’ had left the club with a repair bill of several thousand £s after destroying seats at Stark’s Park.
The damage was revealed as the Kirkcaldy club spoke out over a “concerning” rise in anti-social behaviour on matchdays, both home and away, including fighting and disorder before and after matches ,and more problems caused by the use of pyrotechnics. The recent Fife derby against Dunfermline Athletic saw mounted police in the town centre to manage the crowds.