There is a moment in the movie adaption of Tom Clancy’s The Sum Of All Fears that I often think about when we’re told we should “move on” from the events of 2011.
It comes when US administration officials visit Moscow and meet with the Russian President, to try and broker a solution to the Chechnya crisis. They don’t known that he already wants out and is committed to bettering relations with the US, but slowly and carefully, in a way that doesn’t alienate his military leaders who want a show of strength.
Nemerov, played by the ever-excellent Ciaran Hinds, performs a wonderful high wire act in that moment, playing the hard-man for his Russian counterparts whilst also engaging in a little back-door diplomacy behind the scenes. His words to the US delegation are worth putting here in full, because it sums up nicely where are right now.
“For you to get involved here,” he says, “it’s like sleeping with another man’s wife… and what you are suggesting is that afterwards they all live together under the same roof… but what really happens is that the betrayed husband goes out and buys a gun.”
And that’s where we are, folks, with this still dragging on.
Ross County are the latest club to say no to an inquiry; at the time of writing this not one club has thus far come out in support of Celtic in spite of mounting evidence of something untoward having happened at Hampden, in addition to what was going on at Ibrox.
I’m going to talk about that stuff later, but once again let me repeat what I’ve said before.
There is no “moving on” until these issues are tackled and settled and there is no question of a period of peace and calm descending as the Ross County chairman wants until some measure of justice has been brought for those events.
Sackings have to happen. Heads have to roll. This is not about satisfying bloodlust, it is essential for the wellbeing of the national sport. Corrupt administrators cannot be allowed to remain in post or keep their fat pension pots. The people who lied and covered up evidence, those who were the architects of the 2011-12 scandals and others cannot be allowed to continue climbing the ladders at the SFA and UEFA, or what is our game worth?
See, it’s alright for the media and those clubs who don’t see themselves as having been directly impacted by these events to want us to get past it, but they never had to pay for season tickets in the expectation that what they were seeing was fair.
And not only have some of our fans metaphorically bought the guns, but they are loaded, and they are aimed and if anybody thinks the fingers on the triggers won’t pull them they are in for the rudest awakening of all time.
So many people want this just to “go away.” It’s not going away.
Scottish football will change on the back of this. People can either be leading that change or standing in the way of it. Those who think they can sit this one out and be comfortable either way are grossly mistaken. If I might borrow an historical analogy here, I’ll say this; when any revolution takes place with the overthrow of one regime and the installing of another, there’s always somebody whose job it is to take note of all those who stood on the side-lines or assisted the other side.
That’s not a threat; it’s the reality of where we are. Whatever may or may not happen, the conduct of their clubs will not be forgotten, or forgiven, easily or quickly.
Wherever people land here, there will be consequences. If this goes to the wire, and it will, the only thing they can hope for is to be on the winning side … but I wonder if that’s even possible for those who’d like all this to just disappear into the ether.
What’s that slogan again? Oh yes, no justice, no peace.
They’re still not getting it.
But they will.