This morning, the SPFL released a statement on the Celtic-Ibrox ticket standoff. Although when I say “released a statement,” what I really mean is they put out a few lines—puny, vague, and proving only one thing: how spineless and ineffective the governing bodies in Scottish football actually are.
This statement offered fans nothing. It didn’t cast any new light on the issue. In spite of media reports that this situation is resolved for the second half of the season it doesn’t actually say that at all and only reverts back to the prior agreement which the Ibrox club has broken.
If they still haven’t fulfilled their obligations by the time the next game at Parkhead comes around we’re going to be right back here all over again.
That statement was nothing but a pitiful placeholder, taking a middle-of-the-road position and in its failure to set out the reasons for this breakdown it de-facto endorses the lie that both clubs are at fault here. We know that’s not true.
What the statement needed to deliver were some cold, hard truths.
The SPFL is not a neutral arbiter in this—they’re a signatory to the agreement. They’re part of the deal, and if they’re allowing one side to break or fail to meet the conditions of that agreement, they should have something more to say than, “We hope this matter is soon resolved, and that we can all get along.”
I wrote this morning about the media being part of the problem here—and they are.
But there’s no question that the governing bodies should have stepped in long before now. Instead, they took a fence-sitting position and allowed this to escalate to the point where Celtic felt they had no choice but to reduce tickets to zero, in violation of the SPFL’s own rules.
And they’re still not showing leadership. Far from it, in fact.
They seem content to watch this situation unfold around them, talking about the 5% away fan guarantee, which they haven’t been able to impose on a single club in the league. Apparently, this went to a vote last season and was overwhelmingly rejected, with the SPFL refusing to use executive authority to force it across the line.
A rule like this should have been on the statute books all along. The away fan experience for our supporters has never been more challenging, with more clubs now cutting allocations and making things harder still. Two more – Hibs and St Mirren – have done it in the last fortnight.
We now have the unbelievable spectacle of clubs with no money leaving cash on the table in a spiteful act to deprive our supporters of watching their team. This has been going on for three or four years, and the governing bodies refuse to act on it. This also raises sporting integrity concerns, which should be obvious to anyone paying attention.
If clubs are allowed to cut allocations to whatever they want, what’s to stop Hearts, in a close third-place race with Aberdeen, from deciding to give Aberdeen fans virtually no tickets for their stadium? What’s to stop Aberdeen from doing the same to Hearts?
When you leave the rules this vague, when you leave them open to manipulation, you’re asking for trouble, and you’re jeopardizing one of the foundations on which the game is supposed to be built.
This is precisely why European football has a minimum supporter guarantee and why most leagues on the continent also impose one. For Scotland to be one of the few countries that does not shows us up as a backward banana republic.
That statement today proves we have a governing body but no actual governance.
These people are an absolute fraud, and if Celtic’s directors were willing to step up to the plate, we’d run them out on a rail—and it’s about time we did.
Too many people in cushy jobs , including the referees , they will not rock the boat , and as long as they sit on the fence then the club across the city will feel they can say and do anything they want, now more clubs are doing it and I’ve no idea why they can sustain losses and think they are doing the right thing for they fans , as for Celtic , are they caught between a rock and a hard place ?
Spot on again James. The seats being deliberately left empty prompts the following questions. 1. Are the club directors in dereliction of their fiduciary duties by depriving their clubs (and sharehoders) of income and possible profit. 2. What happens in the event of the SFA, SPFL or any of these clubs seeking a grant from the lottery? I think the knock back letter would go something like this. “Dear Sir, your application for a lottery grant has been unsuccessful. Please re-apply when you can demonstrate that your organisation is maximising its stadium income.”
I go down twice a year to cheer on ma favourite English team – An unfashionable club far far away from the greed of The Premier League thankfully…
Scottish Football is mocked unmercifully down there even in towns whose clubs are in the lower reaches…
I’d like to be able to argue, debate and talk things up, but how on earth can I possibly do so when it comes to scenarios like this…
When it comes to The SFA, The SPFL and The Scummy Scottish Football Media, I find myself drilling them lower into the ground than The English even do…
And that’s saying something, let me tell you !
Maybe they are keeping their statement powder dry to comment on why theRangers are not wearing the William Hill logo on their shirts being the league sponsor ? I would have thought that was compulsory and mandatory ? Then again I thought that about the Cinch sponsorship deal …..
There’s an individual responsibility that each club has to its fans to grow and sustain their club so I can’t really understand why any of this makes moral or business sense to any of the clubs. Other than simply being pissed off at listening to away fans celebrating on their own patches, jealousy, and of course the obvious undercurrent of bigotry that runs like blood throughout the whole of Scotland. Sure we can blame the SFA for not enforcing greater fan allocation and that’s undisputed but that won’t keep our fans safe from the warped sectarian minds at the midden that choose to enact violence and hatred on visiting supporters. This leads to consequences that the SFA and SPFL won’t enforce either.
I agree totally that they need to put adequate rules in place adding enforced consequences but I’m afraid given their clear bias they’ll choose only our club to enact them on.
They need to go. A new decent minded and independent body needs to be installed before this filth that degrades our country is ever to heal.
Good luck finding that let alone finding a sizeable majority to agree to it
Since way before the original scum from Ibrox died in 2012 and its phony replacement was born a bastard in the same year, ‘everything rotten in the state of’ Scottish football emanates from that subhuman scum and its acolytes in the SFA, SPFL, SMSM and all that’s wrongly called “authority” in Scotland. The Celtic Board sits on its collective hands and lets it all happen. An absolute disgrace perpetrated by all concerned and a disgrace that really ought to be consigned to history. Believe me when I say that the Celtic Board could and should take action and unless and until they do then they’re just as bad as ‘that’ shower. Why try to ‘play by the rules’ when the rules are never applied to ‘them’?
Utterly sickening and they’ve the gall to torture us by inaction and pretence at every transfer window? THEY NEED TO BE REMOVED and that’s up to our supporters. Take clear and robust action, at CP and elsewhere, and this includes The Desmond and Lawwell show until they give in to reason and take necessary action themselves.
Rebels! Or are we? They won’t act without very strong prompting.
Hail! Hail! The Glasgow Celtic FC, scrap the Board and get OUR club into OUR ownership.
We’ve got the numbers, we only need to unite. Oh, and do something!
SEVCO won,t be able to guarantee safety for Celtic fans so they are right to take this stance until it’s seen what safety measures are in place at ipox
Kevin, if your reply is to me then can you please clarify your point.
I don’t want Celtic fans to have go to that shithole, not ever, unless our safety is guaranteed and nor do I want that scum at CP. If you re-read my comment you’ll see it’s much wider than just the latest ticketing issue. The new huns, just like the old huns are/were always the ‘victim’ whilst doing no wrong! Our Board should’ve been calling ‘them’ out, both of ‘them’ for decades by calling out the truth of it all, but they’re too shit-scared to do so. Sorry pal, if you don’t understand what I say just ignore it and move on!
Tic toc, well said my friend,we as Celtic fans / supporters really do need to take action against our board,the Huns once more have told the SFA that they won’t honour the William hill sponsorship and once more the SFA let them away scot free,and probably like the cinch deal pay them some money.they get away with all this because our board are greedy Tory money orientated bastards who quite happily let sevco away with all of this.
There must be some ancient law carved in stone somewhere aimed at The SPFL, SCOTTISH MAIN STREAM MEDIA, THOU SHALL NOT FUCK WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT CLUB OR YOUR FREEMASON MEMBERSHIP WILL BE WITHDRAWN, FORTHWITH.
That’s a good point Robert, but it’s got nothing to do with what you state.Its the fact that Celtic and Peter liewell signed up to that 5 way agreement and now they hold Celtic and liewell over a barrel,all of the shit that the Huns got away with after 2012 and now the shit they still get away with is because of Pete liewell and his signature on a document that he denies ever seeing,our board are even worse than sevcos they are a bunch of money grabbing self serving greedy bastards who don’t really give a toss about Celtic or the working class fans.
Raise the question with Peter Lawell, The biggest club in Scotland has sat back and done nothing about the issues within the SPFL.
theRangers do as they please, just think of the court cases against them.
The time for each club following the same rules has long passed.
A rule seems to exist for 11 clubs and 1 club is exempt.
With the discussion on the rules being for one and not another, I watched the Premier League highlights on BBC last weekend. When Clement was being interviewed last weekend the backdrop at Hampden, presumably as a home game for Sevco, did not contain the William Hill logo. Is this another “Cinch” moment?
Of course it is Tony and the SFA and SPFL will let them off again Scot free and to rub salt into the wounds sevco will probably get a cut of the sponsorship money like the SFA gave them from the Cinch money,Make no mistake Scotland is still a backward Presbyterian small minded 17th century country and sevco or the rainjurz are still the establishment football club , because our servile Tory greedy board allow this to go on , Fergus McCann would have tore the SFA the SPFL and sevco up for arse paper had he still been on our board,unlike desmond and liewell who are self serving greedy money grabbing bastards.
New supporter of Celtic here from across the pond in the US. Could ALL of this eventually lead to a scenario where Celtic look to leave the SPFL for the EPL? I understand it’s not that cut and dry, and many moving parts would have to seamlessly come together. Celtic appear to be stuck playing vastly inferior clubs on a weekly basis, which isn’t good for Celtic or the Premiership. Celtic need better competition and the SPFL, as a whole, needs the lower clubs (and their supporters) to have an actual chance at winning something every know and then just from a basic business standpoint. I’d like to see the EPL introduce a League expansion to bring in Celtic without the need for a multi year promotion from the bottom leagues to the EPL. Thoughts about anything I’ve presented here are appreciated.