UEFA will announce in the next few days when the club will face a ‘hearing’ regarding ‘offensive’ chanting during our victory against Rennes after they received a complaint from Strathclyde Polis.
I for one don’t fear any investigation from UEFA. In fact, I welcome it.
There is been some celebrating on line from those who claim that we were to blame for R@ngers being fingered by UEFA. Problem is, they seem to forget that they had a list of incidents, which brought them to their attention.
UEFA really should have lanced that boil after the UEFA Cup Final.
The way this investigation has been brought rankles but not in a self pitying or proclaiming we are innocent way. Did the Polis not see fit to report others during years of sectarian chanting at Euro games (a trait that is still happening up and down the land)?
And how come the game straight after our fans were involved in protests against Salmond’s Law is the one that we get reported for? fit to report others during years of sectarian chanting at Euro games (a trait that is still happening up and down the land)?
Fans protesting against a bill that will see thousands become criminals and a bill that the Polis themselves have serious doubts over.
Plus, if I was a tax payer in Glasgow I would be asking question why the Polis observed someone supposedly breaking the law and didn’t do anything about it at the time.
Lads,
Server seems to be knackered and has posted two versions of the same blog but mixed them up a little.
I will attempt to sort.
I blame the Polis.
Disgrace. the polis that is not the server.
Both are gulity this morning. :-0
if the police did tell euro observer and didnt tell the club then something has to be done ,all clubs in spl are gulty of this but dont get reported and if this is correct the police should be checked to make sure this is not a double standard if it is action has to be taken if not then a lot of clubs will have to have money for fines so lets all pay our way ps this weekend coming should see the other clubs done for singinglets see ????????
This has been coming for a while. Whilst i agree the Orcs have a far worse problem ,no one can deny that songs about the IRA have been clearly heard at away grounds for years ,and have been sneaking back into the songbook at Celtic Pk. On a personal level that doesnt bother me as i would say i am ,not an active Republican but certainly Republican leaning.But surely if these songs are going to get our club into trouble ,it is time to bin them.The IRA have nothing to do with Celtic and never have,we have loads of Celtic songs and there are plenty of non IRA Irish songs.If the Orcs want to keep chanting bigoted songs then thats up to them ,we should try and claim the moral high ground , by not being sucked into some sort of tit for tat game with them
Good post.
Spot on. A friend and I had a couple of meetings with Lawell a while back and even he couldn’t get the difference between IRA and PIRA.
In fact the recent resurgence has a lot to do with the club. I always laugh when something calls me a fenian do n so considering the fenian movement were a bunch of well off Protestants trying to rebell and help the poor in the 18th Century. Albeit mostly Catholic. We suggested a solution the club ignored it. We are now a long way off the fair play award we are being dragged backwards by a minority, o which the majority wouldn’t have a clue why they are singing what they are singing and who class the Fenians. , de Valera, Connelly, Collins and the hunger strikers as the same. They are not the same and would have despised the actions of the PIRA.
What was your solution?
UEFA investigate – Realise it was all made up guff – Celtic dismissed – Celtic look squeaky clean compared to the bigotdome mob… Bhoys, this is going to work in our favour… Mark my words…
Was it made up?
Was at the game, never heard anything… I’m not sayin there couldn’t have been a few nuggets shouting some stupid stuff but certainly not a large vocal… Turns out it was hun ref extraordinaire Eddie smith… Surprise surprise
If it really was just a few people then more reason to ask why nothing was done in terms of arrests. There are without question songs that are not acceptable sung by our support.
Is there anything on YouTube or that yet? If people are doing it they should be punished. Not just by UEFA, but by the club. If not then UEFA should keep these things to themselves until a verdict is reached or the process could be used to facelessly slander any club in European competition without fear of recrimination. How many times have the police reported Rangers (who have been charged by UEFA 4 times)?
Celtic supporters need to drop the, “But they sing this, they sing that” rubbish and concentrate on getting our own house in order. This has been coming for months. Why give the authorities ammunition to hit us with. Sections of the Celtic support have let this club down. They think they are are law unto their selves and can sing what ever the hell they want. Warning after warning has been ignored. Now the name of the Celtic support is being dragged through the gutter. ‘Best support in the world’?
It’s the old romanticism line that bugs me.
I was in Rennes a few weeks back and saw a drunken young hupe staggering down a road singing about joining the IRA while growling at passing French.
Fuck all romantic about that.
Gnashing of teeth! The road to the promised land has many twists. We had a virtually sectarian free stadium about 5 or 6 years ago and people complained about the lack of atmosphere but it was better for families.
Your point about the family is a good one and one, which has seen me take a different view to the songs debate.
Do I really want to be trying to explain to Jnr why we are singing about joining the IRA or who Sean South or Aiden McAnespie is when trying to learn them about the beautiful and special club we are?
When I was getting taken to games it was a different time. Times have moved and so should we.
My brother and I have long disagreed about this. I believe this is the final stick they can use to beat us with. Stop singing the songs and they will have to look eleswhere regardless of whether this is illegal or not. This is the authorities attempting to ‘even things up’….. we are both the same etc. While I do not like the songs that an element of our support bring to the games the basic question must be asked; Are they illegal?
If yes then arrest the people and the club can ban them.
If no go to UEFA and attempt to get the football authorities to do something about it.
This is opening a dangerous can of worms here but the club really need to grow a pair and defend the good name of our support.
While I accept the songs can be described a offensive can Aberdeen fans singing about the Ibrox disaster be construed as ‘illicit’, can Liverpool fans singing about Munich be described as ‘illict’, can Man Utd fans singing about Hillsbourgh be described as ‘ilicit’…… the list is endless.
I don’t have a problem with being reported because if you are in the wrong you deserve to be punnished but if you are the only club being reported when others arround you get to act with impunity then that is not correct.
The use of the word illicit moves the goalposts. I’m just unsure if it’s in our favour or not. But maybe punishment could be a blessing…..
Yeah I agree but the problem is that it will be a censor or a suspended fine. If you are guilty of something then you should be hammered that appears to be the only way some fans learn.
I also think that there seems to also be a sinister aspect now beginning to emerge here.
The use of the phrase ‘illicit’ as opposed to ‘illegal’ is highly questionable;
so what has been chanted/sung is not illegal but it is ‘illicit’ so not only do fans now have to know what is legal and illegal but what, in the descretion of senior police officer, her or she may find offensive.
This is dangerous territory for Celtic to be dragged into particularly in the West of Scotland.
That is why our Club must go to this hearing armed with video evidence of other top clubs singing ‘illicit’ songs, can I suggest a trawl of YouTube should probably do the trick.
Also ask if FARE had a representative at the match and, if so, what is there view?
Ask how many other teams have ever been charged after police have not made one arrest concerning an incident.
Cut the legs out from under the police’s credibility by showing footage of the League Cup Final ‘special atmosphere’ that we all witnessed and ask why none of the police on duty that day saw fit to report it to the appropriate authorities. Sure the game was not under the control of UEFA but it was under the control of one of there associations.
Finally a special mention to the fans who sing these songs. You have managed to get our club linked again with Rangers in the most terrible way possible. I hope you feel proud.
I read somewhere that fans of Schalke 04 were being accused of singing anti muslim ditties and this had angered many of the Turkish supporters of the team. It`s a complicated world out there. 🙂
Singing anti muslim songs is illegal.
I find spurs’ rendition of ‘oh when the saints’ go marching in really offensive. No real reason other than it sounds utterly guff… Ban it
I find the chant ‘we are the people’ offensive to all Village People fans.
Haha belter