Fife Police have confirmed they will take no action against Dunfermline FC mascot Sammy the Tammy following his pre-match antics at the weekend.
As The Courier had revealed, the individual concerned was spoken to on Tuesday but it has been decided to let the matter rest.
Sammy the Tammy had been criticised for his pre-derby stunt when he appeared on the East End Park pitch in a cardboard tank, which was accompanied by gun noises from the club’s sound system.
He was later slated by sections of the Raith Rovers support following their club’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fife rivals Dunfermline. Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty also said he found Sammy’s actions “unnecessary”.
Dunfermline FC have already said they will deal with the matter internally and Fife Constabulary said the matter would now be closed.
Chief Inspector Bob Baker said, “Regarding the behaviour of the Dunfermline mascot on Saturday, I can confirm I have today spoken with the individual involved and a representative of the club.
“I have been assured there will be no recurrence and am satisfied the club has the matter in hand. I am content to leave anything further as an internal matter for the club to pursue.”
Officials of Raith Rovers Supporters’ Club have also moved to bring the matter to a close.
Most supporters saw the funny side on the day, but the mascot’s behaviour did not go down well with some sections of support — both Dunfermline and Raith.
But in a statement released on Raith Rovers’ official website on Tuesday, the supporters’ club stressed that at no time had members asked for any action to be taken against the Dunfermline mascot and hopes the matter has now been well and truly put to bed.
“Whilst we may have thought that the stunt was in bad taste and maybe an apology should be given, no-one from the club has made any complaint to either Dunfermline or the police,” the statement read.
“We were contacted by the press and gave our opinion, and several things were added from fantalk (a forum for Raith fans) which had not been said by anyone connected with the supporters’ club.
“Also, as per usual, a lot of our comments had been missed out. We as a club stated that it was a shame that we were actually talking about this short stunt and the press should be talking about Dunfermline’s victory over Raith.
“Anyone who was at the match could quite easily see that the best team won on the day. The last thing we wanted was anyone to use the phrase ‘sour grapes.’
“We were totally shocked and surprised when this made the front page — surely there was something else more deserving of that privilege than that? As far as we at Raith Rovers Supporters’ Club are concerned, this matter is now closed.”