A MAN has been fined and banned from attending football matches for 18 months after clashing with rival fans and confronting police.

Stephen Payne, 20, was convicted after tensions flared between Raith Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic supporters, before the teams' match at Starks Park in Kirkcaldy on November 17, 2012.

Payne, from Rosyth, was among a group of fans who had to be separated from each other because they were shouting, swearing and challenging each other to fight. He was warned by police but continued to antagonise rival supporters, prosecutors said. He was fined £400 at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

Faith Millar, football liaison prosecutor for the east of Scotland, said: "There is no place in modern Scotland for such unruly disorder where grown men, so called football fans, look to fight in the street. It is totally unacceptable, brings shame on the game and embarrasses genuine supporters.

"We will do all in our power to bring those who perpetrate such crimes to justice."