Celtic Statement is admirable but club impotent in face of SFA’s ingrained Old Firm mentality
Celtic and Rangers once benefited from their mutually beneficial relationship that resulted in the two clubs being referred to collectively as The Old Firm…
When Rangers FC went out of business in 2012 and a new club was formed by Founding Father Charles Green, Celtic made some attempts to rid themselves of this, believing correctly that the Old Firm relationship died with Rangers FC.
However the latest Ibrox club was determined to sell the lie of continuity and that meant keeping the Old Firm candle lit. Celtic’s attempts faded as their need was less than the new entity at the other side of town.
Yes we call it the Glasgow Derby, of course Celtic once tweeted that they are ‘not half of anything’ but if the Celtic supporters got it, no-one in the media did and the latest Ibrox club didn’t want to acknowledge that their club was something new altogether while the Scottish football authorities bent over backwards to help, allowing Charles Green to in his own words, ‘buy the trophies’.
The whole 55 thing in the Covid year was all about cementing the 54 titles won by Rangers FC in the new club’s story. When Rangers won their 35th of 45th title did their fans talk about the number rather than the achievement? Of course not.
In the Scottish Cup quarter final last year at Ibrox the match planning has been shown in the Scottish FA’s commissioned independent report to be a shambles and one that could have caused the loss of life.
Celtic had nothing to do with that as the away team, although they certainly tried to get involved and have some input. They were not allowed.
Celtic won the tie in a penalty shoot-out and some of our fans in jubilation spilled onto the park, just as had already happened in the same game when the Rangers scored, only for VAR to rule out the goal for handball. That was merely the same kind of reaction from the Celtic support when the winning penalty was scored.
Those Celtic fans were then attacked by armed hordes from the opposite end of the park. A Celtic official (not for the first time in recent years) was assaulted at Ibrox and Police officers and stewards were also assaulted by masked Rangers fans, literally running riot.
Any reasonable person can spot the difference here. Celtic certainly did but despite failing in their appeal, the Scottish FA were never going to do anything other than come down on one as hard as the other despite the blame probably weighing 90/10 towards the latest Ibrox club and their supporters.
Just about all the Rangers season ticket holders were at that game and they will now miss the next Scottish Cup tie played at Ibrox due to this ban.
However 50,000 Celtic season ticket holders were NOT at that Scottish Cup quarter final but have now been banned from going to the next Scottish Cup tie at Celtic Park. Where is the natural justice there?
Celtic’s statement this evening, which you can read below, touches on these points. What it doesn’t say though is that it was clear and obvious that this would be the outcome.
Remember the Shame Game when things were going wrong behind the scenes at Ibrox? Their players got send off and caused all the trouble, Celtic did remarkably little except for Neil Lennon getting involved in a pushing incident with McCoist after the final whistle. The fall-out from that was incredible, given the same kind of incident happened at Tynecastle last night between the two managers and John Swinney hasn’t called an emergency summit to deal with the dodgy handshakes that were going on.
Celtic’s problem is that they are guilty by association. They are being judged by the company they were happy to keep over the decades – before Rangers died. Celtic’s failure to stand up to same club nonsense, has now come back to bite them in the backside.
Remember the Statement from Celtic Supporters we placed in the Sunday Herald before the first ever Glasgow Derby in February 2015? Maybe Celtic now wished they’d done something similar themselves? Here it is…
A STATEMENT FROM CELTIC SUPPORTERS 25 JANUARY 2015
Now here is today’s statement from Celtic…
Celtic Football Club was informed today that its appeal against the sanctions imposed by the Scottish FA following events at Ibrox Stadium earlier this year in a Scottish Cup tie has been partially upheld. However, Celtic will still be required to play their next home Scottish Cup match behind closed doors.
The Club has released the following statement:
While we recognise that our appeal has been partially upheld, we remain extremely disappointed by this excessive and disproportionate punishment relating to an incursion by supporters at a moment of emotion and celebration.
It continues to be our view that a false equivalence has been drawn in relation to the very different actions of two groups.
We have not defended supporters entering the field of play and understand the part emotion plays in football. We would have expected this context and the very obvious distinction in behaviours to have been recognised.
Additionally, the fact that Celtic Football Club had no responsibility for stadium safety arrangements also seems to have been disregarded in establishing these sanctions.
A very good statement but in essence one that is simply too late.
