Labour MSP urges sectarian football law review A FORMER police chief has claimed that the SNP's controversial anti-secterian legislation has inflamed matters rather than alleviated them as a debate on the merits of the bill has been brought forward. Labour MSP Graeme Pearson has urged a review of Scotland's Offensive Behaviour at Football Act to be brought forward amid claims the legislation is inflaming problems SNP had vowed 2015 review but pressure increases to bring it forward Labour's Graeme Pearson has urged a review of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act to be accelerated after demands that the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee add it to the agenda. Pearson, the former head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, hopes to bring forward evidence gathering about the effectiveness of the bill as well as allowing a review of the legislation. The SNP has already agreed to a review of the Act, but this is not due to take place until 2015. Pearson said there were concerned that the bill criminialised fans, who have also raised questions about the manner in which the law is enforced by police. The MSP for South of Scotland said: "Fans have raised concerns about police tactics and that is really for the Police Authority to look at. What we can look at is Government legislation. I don't take any pleasure in saying I warned about this but when you begin to involve police in making subjective decisions in the white hot atmosphere of a football match and whether a certain song is offensive you are going to have problems. He added: "I worry about how the Act was introduced and that it inflames these difficulties rather than resovles them. Was Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist squaring up to one another evidence of the need for legislation? There is an anti-social element at football but they can be targeted with legislation which was alreaduy there and the use of sectarian legislation in the environment of football grounds causes more problems. Chairwoman of the Justice Committee, the SNP's Christine Grahame, said the committee was "up to its neck" in work, though acknowledging the desire among some for a review to be brought forward. She said: "Graeme Pearson is quite right in saying anything to do with police tactics isn't for us and we can only examine the legislation and discuss the options open to us." SEE ALSO: Anti-secterian football laws "working" SEE ALSO:Scottish Parliament passes sectarianism laws despite strong opposition SEE ALSO: Michael Kelly: Alex Salmond's anti-sectarian purge has gone too far