SOCCER/News: Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell yesterday launched a plan to target sectarianism, which he described as the country's "secret shame".

The cross-party Scottish Executive report recommends introduction of a law to make religious hatred an aggravated offence.

The 12-point plan also calls on football clubs to take action against fans for sectarian behaviour, including the possibility of life bans from games.

At St Mungo's Museum in Glasgow, Mr McConnell said the problem had been overlooked for years but must now be addressed in a devolved Scotland.

He said: "This is a very important day, not just this year, but in the history of Scotland.

"It is a day when Scotland can grow up and move away from the divisions of the past. These measures signal our determination that Scotland will no longer tolerate acts of religious hatred.

"We will act to toughen the law so that courts can more severely punish crimes motivated by sectarianism.

"The report also proposes that football clubs, the police and prosecutors systematically identify and ban people spreading religious hatred inside and outside football stadiums."

Mr McConnell said bigotry was more widespread north of the border 30 years ago but sectarian views were still held by a "significant minority of Scots".

The First Minister added: "It is time for the decent majority of Scots to stand up and be counted and to say that religious hatred should be put in the dustbin of history.

"It is time for Scotland's secret shame to be put in the past."

The report recommends the introduction of guidelines to ensure that any element of religious motivation or hatred is fully recorded in police reports and is brought before the courts.

Asked if sections of the Old Firm clubs' fan base would change their long-held views, Mr McConnell said: "This is not a message from ministers.

"This is a message from the decent majority of people in Scotland who will have seen that this has been tolerated for too long.

"I no longer want children to grow up with these sort of attitudes."

Mr McConnell also said he had met senior officials from the rival clubs, and they were committed to tackling sectarianism.

Asked if the Executive would consider banning Orange marches, Mr McConnell said: "We have to get the right balance between freedom of speech and religious hatred. We must ensure traditional events do not move into extremes of hatred."

The First Minister also ruled out scrapping Catholic schools and said the existing educational structure should not be challenged.

He said the way forward was to promote religious diversity and tolerance at a local level.