A SOUTH Side councillor has slammed “selfish vandals” for spray-painting a popular sports complex as it awaits its reopening date.

Councillor Jim Kavanagh hit out after the well-used Nethercraigs Sports facility was covered in graffiti, including vile messages such as “f*** Celtic”.

The venue, on Corkerhill Road, has been mostly dormant – aside from a popular partnership with Pollok United Soccer Academy which launched a community activation pilot for local football clubs on October 10 – since owners Glasgow Life was forced to shut it down earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Labour politician has called on the charity, which is yet to announce its reopening date for the centre, to step up its maintenance of the site during its closure, claiming it’s been “left to rot”.

He said: “The facilities that are open are regularly inspected, but the ones that are not fully reopened or not reopened at all are just left to rot it seems.

Glasgow Times: Councillor Jim KavanaghCouncillor Jim Kavanagh

“My ward is covered in graffiti, but it’s particularly bad at ­Nethercraigs.

“Well done to the teams who have come out to remove it, but it’s graffiti city. They can’t keep up with it”.

Cllr Kavanagh said he hopes the issue will encourage Glasgow Life to reopen the facility in a bid to ­deter the vandals.

Dozen’s of the charity’s facilities had began to reopen, however, the introduction of the Scottish Government’s five-tier system earlier this week has meant some have been forced to close once again.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow Life insisted any graffiti had been cleaned soon after it was reported and encouraged others to continue to alert charity bosses if they find the area has been targeted again.

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She said: “Since mid-October, Glasgow Life has been operating a successful partnership at Nethercraigs in the form of a Community Activation Pilot with Pollok United Soccer Academy which has seen, on average, more than 500 young ­people use the venue’s pitches every week.

“This has been hugely beneficial for local clubs and groups, particularly as we move into the winter months and safe, floodlit access to the pitches is guaranteed every evening.

“Glasgow Life venues which are currently not open to the public are being checked daily by our local operational teams, and any issues are reported and rectified as soon as possible.”