Motherwell will stage a raft of anti-racism initiatives before Monday's game against Hearts as the Fir Park club yesterday pledged to issue life bans to those who directed abuse at St Johnstone's Jason Scotland.

The unequivocal response was last night lauded by Paul Elliott, awarded an MBE in 2003 for his campaigning work against racism, who insisted the sickening taunts from a minority of Motherwell fans on Wednesday night must act as a warning against complacency over the issue in Scottish football.

Derek Kirkwood, the Scottish Football Association's head of security, was at Fir Park for St Johnstone's quarter-final victory in the Tennent's Scottish Cup and has launched an investigation into the monkey chants heard during the early stages of the game.

The SFA will work in conjunction with Motherwell, whose owner, John Boyle, has urged supporters to help identify the culprits. The Lanarkshire club has also written letters of apology to both Scotland and St Johnstone. Geoff Brown, chairman of the Perth club, welcomed that step and praised the clampdown being enforced.

Boyle was appalled by the treatment Scotland received and the subsequent damage done to Motherwell's reputation. An official announcement will be made to all fans before the Bank of Scotland Premierleague meeting with Hearts that racist behaviour will not be tolerated in any form. Players from both teams will also wear "Show Racism the Red Card" T-shirts and display anti-racism placards.

"I believe that this was an isolated incident," said Boyle. "Motherwell has no history of racist behaviour prior to Wednesday's match. I hope that our anti-racism demonstration on Monday night outlines our commitment against such dreadful behaviour.

"We are utterly appalled by this behaviour by a small group of people who have tarnished the name of our club. We pride ourselves in being a family club which welcomes everyone to Fir Park."

A furious response from other Motherwell fans in the main stand area helped silence the taunts as police and stewards were informed. Boyle wants that self-policing to continue to bring bans and, potentially, criminal convictions against those involved.

"We are appealing to our own supporters to help identify the culprits," said Boyle. "I would be stunned if they are season-ticket holders, as there has been no evidence of this kind of behaviour in the past. Our position is quite clear: these people should never show their faces at Fir Park again and they have no place in football."

Elliott, the former Celtic defender, was at Hampden last week for an anti-racism seminar and was deeply disappointed to learn of events at Fir Park. Now an ambassador for FIFPro, the international players' union, Elliott believes positive lessons can be learned from this unacceptable relapse into behaviour some thought had been eradicated from Scottish football.

"There has been a great deal of excellent work done in recent years but this is the clearest possible example of why there can be no room for complacency," Elliott told The Herald.

"But good can come of this and I applaud the zero-tolerance attitude taken by Motherwell and the footballing authorities. Life bans are absolutely correct. That is what has changed from when I was playing, when bananas were thrown and all sorts of chanting occurred.

"I understand there was also a very angry response from the huge majority of supporters around those guilty of the chants, and that is essential to stamping out this behaviour. Self-policing can stop that small minority still willing to indulge.

"I was in Glasgow last week and eulogised the work done by the SPFA and others in Scotland. It is this template that I am now taking to Europe in my role as a FIFPro ambassador.

"But the initiatives and education must continue. Racism should always feature high on the agenda as it has far wider implications than just football. It directly affects how we operate as an integrated society."

Both the SFA and Scottish Premier League are formulating strengthened measures for dealing with bigoted behaviour at football grounds and they are expected to be introduced in time for next season. Courts last year gained power to impose football banning orders on offenders, which can exclude them from all matches for up to 10 years, and Elliott wants to see the legislation used on those responsible for taunting Scotland.

Billy Singh, Scottish coordinator of Show Racism the Red Card, added his voice to those expressing "disgust" at what occurred at Fir Park. He is, though, also working to set up a project aimed at rehabilitation.

"Banning racists from football grounds removes the problem from stadiums but it remains within society," said Singh, who will help organise the measures taken by Motherwell on Monday. "I am working on an initiative aimed at trying to get inside the heads of these so-called human beings to find out what is behind their attitudes.

"Perhaps in the future, it could be that someone a club wanted to ban for life could instead be banned for a few years if they were willing to engage with Show Racism the Red Card. I would sit down with them and have an open and frank discussion to see if they realise what affect their actions have, not only on Jason Scotland or whoever their target may be, but on the country as a whole."