ALCOHOL and a football defeat were to blame for a dramatic rise in the number of reported domestic abuse cases to Strathclyde police on the day Scotland were beaten 2-1 by Italy in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Figures from Strathclyde Police show that on Saturday, November 17, there were 126 domestic abuse cases reported - 37% above average.
Glasgow MSP Sandra White, who requested the information, said the figures revealed a "direct link between the abuse of alcohol and domestic abuse".
Between April and December 2007, 60% of all domestic abuse cases reported to Strathclyde Police were alcohol-related, and on the day of the Scotland game 64% of the reports were alcohol-related.
Figures also show there was a huge amount of alcohol sold and consumed on the day of the Scotland game - one newspaper at the time estimated five million pints would be drunk on the day of the game.
White said: "These appalling figures show a direct link between the abuse of alcohol and domestic abuse. This was a football match heralded and promoted as the biggest football feast of the century. Sadly, for so many, these figures clearly show that for them there was nothing to cheer about.
"Every weekend we see the results of binge drinking and the carnage it brings to our towns and cities. What we don't see, hidden behind closed doors, is the terrible suffering of women and children subjected to drink-fuelled violence.
She added: "While there can never be an excuse for domestic violence, what these figures clearly show is that excessive drinking is one of the underlying causes of abuse and therefore must be tackled."
Last month the Sunday Herald reported that Strathclyde's new chief constable, Stephen House, wants a more "rigorous approach" to stop domestic violence.
At the time, he said he wanted a change in how police work with social services, so the offender - not the victim - would be separated from the family unit.
"We actually punish the victim to take them away from their homes, family, friends and support network.
"If we can have a choice to take the man out instead, we can do that. Initiatives elsewhere have taken the offender out.
"Even if there's not a prosecution, we broker an arrangement whereby the husband is subject to counselling. I'll be looking to see if we can start something like that with the voluntary sector," he added.
House has also shown an interest in introducing specialist courts to be created across the country to deal with the soaring number of domestic abuse cases.
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