A players' union has urged police to take action over the abuse of footballers and managers during matches.

Police are investigating a series of incidents in recent Scottish matches involving supporters attacking or verbally abusing those involved in the games.

A bottle of Buckfast and coins were thrown at Celtic star Scott Sinclair as he went to take a corner against Hibs on Saturday night.

TV cameras showed referee Willie Collum handing it to a steward before play resumed at the Edinburgh stadium.

Seats were also damaged during the match while flares were set off.

Around 60 seats were wrecked during the Scottish Cup match between Aberdeen and Rangers at Pittodrie on Sunday.

The Dons have sent Rangers a bill of £2700 following the damage.

Coins were reportedly thrown from the Celtic end during a Premiership clash with Hearts at Tynecastle on Wednesday.

Match footage showed an object landing close to Hearts goalkeeper Bobby Zlamal as he prepared to take a goal kick.

Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke also accused Rangers fans of sectarian abuse, claiming they called him a "F****n b******" following his team's Scottish Cup defeat at Ibrox last month.

Former Rangers striker Boyd had been subjected to sectarian abuse by fans days earlier.

After Celtic's late winner, a number of the away support entered the field of play and seats in two sections of the ground were broken.

PFA Scotland chief executive, Fraser Wishart, said the recent spate of incidents are "alarming" and require "urgent" action to be taken.

He said: "After this weekend's incidents at Easter Road, we stress again that the throwing of objects at players, violence or any form of verbal abuse directed towards players must be taken seriously and we trust that the authorities will take the appropriate action to ensure that this dangerous practice is stopped.

"The continuing rise in incidents of this nature at football grounds across the country is alarming and must be addressed with the greatest of urgency.

"On the field, our members have been subjected to racist and sectarian abuse, physically assaulted and had coins and now a bottle thrown at them.

"Any form of abuse, physical or verbal, is wholly unacceptable and it is of paramount importance that something is done before someone is seriously hurt or maimed."

He added: "The football pitch is a player's place of work and it is not unreasonable for a player, like any other employee, to be able to work with the knowledge that their workplace is indeed a safe environment, free from violence and discrimination and that their health and safety is not at risk.

"We refer back again to the survey we conducted amongst our members in 2016 as part of a worldwide survey for the World Players Union FIFPro.

Worryingly, 35% of those players surveyed said they had been threatened by fans (34% on a match day)."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to investigate ways to tackle hooliganism in Scottish football.

She told STV: "We want to see football clubs and governing bodies really step up to the plate, to take that responsibility and do more than they are doing.

"Of course, government also has to keep under consideration action we can take, whether that is looking at the option of strict liability or looking at what more can be done within licensing conditions."