SPFL board member Mike Mulraney admits controversial plans to introduce facial recognition software at football grounds are dead after the Scottish Government told the league they would not fund the plan.

League bosses had asked for £4m in funding from the government for a scheme designed to tackle offensive behaviour in stadiums from next season.

Community safety minister Paul Wheelhouse told STV the funding request has been rejected and following that statement, Alloa chairman Mulraney conceded league officials would have to go consider fresh options.

He told STV: "It was part of a consultation process. Now we’ve established that’s unlikely to be supported or is not going to be supported by the government at this time then it’s almost certainly no chance of this going ahead I would suggest.

"Obviously it is useful that we now know what the government’s position is. We go out to consultation for a purpose and if these discussions have resulted in the government deciding that they don’t want to fund this then that assists football in letting us know how to move forward."

We revealed last month that meetings had taken place between representatives of the SPFL and the Scottish Government over a request for £4m to introduce the technology which would be used to identify offenders.

The league governing body is determined to take a firm stance on sectarian singing, the use of flares and other offensive behaviour and believes the scheme could be effective following incidents involving Celtic, Rangers and Dundee United supporters among others.

The move towards the technology, which would be the first of its kind in the UK, is designed to identify those guilty of violence, offensive singing, use of pyrotechnics and any other prohibited behaviour.

Mr Wheelhouse told STV: "The specific proposal that has been put to us is not one that we can accept. We feel there are a number of concerns about it.

"We've had an open discussion with SFA and the SPFL about the proposals but ultimately it's an issue for Scottish football to resolve and we're happy to work with the footballing authorities in doing so but there are some concerns about the proposal that came forward. It's a hugely challenging time for public finaces.

"We do recognise the financial constraints which football clubs are working within but we feel it's hard to justify expense on this when public resources are very much challenged at this moment in time.

"We do feel it's something Scottish football has to resolve itself and put it's house in order but we're willing to work with the footballing authorities and keen to do so."

The plans were met with criticism and scepticism from supporters and supporters' groups with the Scottish Football Supporters Association saying it "would be concerned at a rushed move towards intrusive surveillance".

Further protests have taken place at football grounds around the country, with many groups of fans unfurling banners opposing the introduction of facial recognition software.

One proposal would have involved the introduction of facial recognition software to identify troublemakers and create a database of supporters who should be banned from grounds across the country.

If someone on the black list attempted to enter a stadium, an alert would be received allowing clubs to take action. It would then be the responsibility of clubs to ensure these fans were unable to gain access to matches.

Mulraney added: "I think it’s important not to over-estimate or exaggerate the issue. We have hugely family-friendly football grounds all around Scotland and I think it is important to recognise that and to accept there’s always room for improvement.

"That’s something the league along with our partners at the Scottish FA will always work towards achieving. It’s not quite back to the drawing board but it’s a re-evaluation of what we can do to make things even better."

League bosses planned for the scheme to be introduced along with new rules and harsher punishments for clubs who failed to deal with supporters engaged in disorderly behaviour, which included the possible introduction of points deductions.

The Alloa chairman said this part of the plan will also be reviewed as league officials attempt to deal with the issue.

He said: "Everyone knows that this was always an approach we were taking in tandem so I think it’s got to be re-evaluated along with the whole process here.

"While we accept that we want to make things better inside football grounds, where we have a responsibility we have to look at the complete picture and address the fact we have loads of fantastic fans having a great time and how we can best manage that crowd to allow them to enjoy football in Scotland."