COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison said: "Today’s Report (Wednesday) is a regrettable missed opportunity.

"With better handling and a more open process involving all the key partners, we could have taken a genuinely strategic and a holistic look at a serious subject.

"Given some recent well reported behaviours at football matches, it is crucial that we work together to get this right.

"We are not going to achieve the outcomes we all want, while one part of the system tells the rest of us what we should be doing. It is very disappointing that the Police in particular are failing to embrace partnership working.

"Scotland’s councils well understand the numbers within our local communities who attend football matches and other events across the country and we take our community safety role extremely seriously, we have a good record on it.

"Unfortunately, even considering our key community safety role and repeated assurances from the police of working together in partnership over recent months, councils are the subject of some sweeping statements within the report, but despite this, we have not been involved in any aspect of it.

"This treatment of our local councils is not acceptable. Irrespective of that, we will of course consider the recommendations and any implications for us.

"I would assure those who attend football matches in Scotland that the grounds in which they watch their teams have a good reputation for safety and we will continue to work with the police and our other multi agency partners to make sure this remains the case."