The only surprising thing about the SPFL’s decision to charge both ourselves and the club from Ibrox, and Motherwell with us, over pyro displays at games is that it took us so long to get here. We have the worst governing bodies in the world in Scotland when it comes to actually governing. It was a matter of time before they were slapped awake though.
On this subject there’s no more debate; it’s just actions and consequences now. UEFA has made its stance crystal clear and they aren’t playing. The Scottish Government has passed wide ranging legislation on this matter. They aren’t playing either. Celtic has asked nicely. Then they asked not so nicely. They stopped asking and eventually banned people. Still it was going on, with only our association failing to read the writing on the wall.
That was not a position they could have held for very much longer. Events had gotten way in front of them some time ago; the clubs themselves are sick of this and badly wanted, and needed, some official support from on high. That’s the only thing that has been missing here, the only thing that hasn’t been forthecoming.
And a lot of people might not believe, or want to believe, that this kind of official action does help the clubs. They are wrong. The clubs need to be able to send the fans a clear message that this stuff is not going to fly anymore, that the days when a few nasty comments on social media from fellow supporters were all they had to worry about are over. From now on, this stuff will have an impact on the club itself and you cannot claim to be working for the benefit of the club if your actions harm it.
It’s also a message to other fans, those who stand back without protesting too much. This is an attempt to give fans the proper motivation to self-police this stuff; that’s never a good idea, but we might be coming to it anyway. As I said in a piece last week, this is now starting to turn fans against these people and that’s also been in the post. The tougher the threat of the sanctions, the angrier the reaction will be.
The club has reacted to this news in a predictable way in that they have issued a statement re-stating their position on pyro and calling on fans to stop. It’s a particularly good moment for the governing bodies in that they’ve smartly issued Motherwell and the other Glasgow club a discipline notice on the same subject; at last they are showing some guts. If they took the same position on some of the more atrocious songs and chants we might be even closer to a place where this game is the better for them. I won’t hold my breath; we are a long way from anyone showing guts on those sorts of issues.
What happens next? That’s something only the governing body will know but it’s no coincidence that they’ve issued this charge prior to the final, especially as it relates to the League Cup semis; we know the issue is bigger than that though and that this is only the start of what will be a wide-ranging campaign to finally get this stuff out of grounds. And that campaign will almost certainly succeed. It simply required the will to start, that’s all. I have no doubt at all about how it will finish.
Why hasn’t Aberdeen been included in this? There are TV pictures clearly showing red smoke, so what is going on?
It’s selfish action with no consideration for asthmatics or folks with COPD from the fans of whichever club lights them up !
Spot on Clach. A self entitled bunch of arseholes who care only about their own enjoyment and little about the club
I reckon the problems would be solved (for us, at least) if the board stopped thinking the Goon Brigade have to get tickets to every game and started treating them like every other fan, and if people were willing to point out the arseholes letting off the flares to the stewards/police, rather than going “Am no a grass!” as if being a “grass” is worse than doing something that could kill or seriously injure someone.