"Working-class" football fans should be allowed to drink in the stadium before the match, according to Scottish Labour's new leader.
Jim Murphy has attacked the "class mentality" in Scottish sport which permits "middle-class" spectators to drink at rugby and in the corporate hospitality box at football matches while "working-class" spectators have been cut off.
The teetotal MP has acknowledged that Scotland has "an unhealthy relationship with alcohol" but said it has moved on from the violence of the 1980s.
Mr Murphy, a Celtic season ticket holder and football historian, joins a growing chorus of influential voices calling for alcohol to return to matches.
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan insists Scotland is now "a responsible nation" while sport promoter Barry Hearn described the ban as "archaic".
But Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said earlier this month that he has "no plans to reintroduce alcohol to football stadiums".
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Off The Ball programme, Mr Murphy said: "I don't drink but I'm up for it. I think it is sensible.
"I think that our sport in Scotland is kind of stuck in a class mentality that says if you're middle-class and want to go to rugby you can drink, and if you're middle-class and want to go to football you can drink.
"I don't see why, in moderation, men and women who want to go to football can't have a few drinks. It happens in parts of England and different parts of Europe.
"But I do think, obviously, the game had to change after the Old Firm riot at Hampden (in 1980) and all that sort of stuff, but we are a long way away from that, so I think we should at least do it on a trial basis."
He added: "I'm interested in trialling people being allowed to drink in the stadium for maybe an hour before the game, and as long as it's not just driven by football clubs' total determination to raise a couple more quid.
"If it is about improving the experience of the supporter, as long as you can do it in a way that doesn't put families off, I'm up for trying it."
He continued: "I think more widely we have got an unhealthy relationship with alcohol in this country, but the way in which we have cut off working-class people having the chance to enjoy a drink or two at a football match I think is wrong."
Speaking on December 5, Mr Matheson said: "We have got no plans to change (the ban), and even if there was any consideration of looking at this matter there would have to be a consultation with the police, other enforcement bodies and local authorities to consider what the implications were."
The legislation that prevents the sale of alcohol at football is the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We want all football fans to enjoy our national sport in a safe and enjoyable environment. Decisions on the matter are informed by Police Scotland.
"Police Scotland have previously confirmed it is not at this stage minded to seek a relaxation of the controls on alcohol at football matches, but is engaging with interested parties in reviewing the matter."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article