Football clubs have paid nearly £9 million for matchday policing over the past four seasons.

The costs, charged by Police Scotland for providing security inside stadiums, have come to light amid warnings from a police union chief about rising fan violence at matches and growing pressure on officer resources.

Under current arrangements, Police Scotland can only recover costs for policing inside the grounds, not for managing crowds or incidents on surrounding streets, reports the Daily Record.

(Image: Newsquest)

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A Freedom of Information request revealed that £1.86 million was collected in the 2021/22 season, when stadiums reopened following Covid-19 restrictions.

In the following three seasons, an additional £6.89 million was charged, bringing the total to £8.75 million over four years.

The highest policing costs were paid by Celtic and Rangers, who together paid £3.1 million over the past three seasons: £1.6 million for Ibrox and £1.5 million for Parkhead.

The Scottish Football Association was third on the list, paying £829,107 for policing at...