The Scottish Premier League (SPL) is campaigning to have the 27-year ban on alcohol sales in football grounds lifted.

Following justice secretary Kenny MacAskill’s decision to relax a similar ban at Murrayfield, Edinburgh’s famous rugby stadium, SPL chiefs are lobbying for the same treatment.

Lex Gold, the SPL chair, was quoted by the BBC as saying: “What happened in relation to rugby is unfair. We believe there should be a pilot exercise involving our clubs.

“We would take it stage by stage, but the approach to say that rugby fans are better behaved than football fans is one that we would challenge.”