Everyone knows my contempt for the media in this country is nearly total. And although I’ve been away for the last week, I’ve kept an eye on goings-on back here, and even for a hardened cynic like me, I’m still pretty appalled by some of what passes for journalism in this country.
I was not surprised in the least, for example, to find out that there was a new journalist working at Sky — Scott Arfield, another ex Ibrox player, because that’s the only qualification that’s required in some parts of the mainstream media in Scotland.
Arfield is another pure fool, elevated to a position he ought not to hold, simply because of his association with them and his need to find gainful employment somewhere.
Where the hell are the great and good of Scottish football? Where the hell are the intelligent, sharp, informative people who can offer analysis and insight? And why do we keep getting this endless parade of former Ibrox dressing room goons, whose job it seems to me is little more than talking up whatever the Ibrox club is doing at any given time, regardless of how bad it might be?
Worse, even than seeing yet another ex-Ibrox player elevated to a media gig, is having to sift through all of the defences that have been offered for the scandalous behaviour of Vaclav Cerny at Celtic Park last weekend. And in my view, it was scandalous behaviour, because it was reckless and dangerous behaviour, and those making excuses for it ought to be ashamed of themselves.
That kind of behaviour could very easily have sparked a real meltdown inside Celtic Park, and the only reason it didn’t is that our fans are way too sensible to act in such a manner. I know this — no Celtic player would have been safe doing that at Ibrox. And I can go even further than that. No Celtic player would have got away with it.
To be frank, a Celtic player who did that would have been crucified by the media, and we all know it. There would not have been a delay of a week to open an SFA investigation either. And although some people are going to say that the SFA can’t do anything while a police investigation is still ongoing, that is absolute rubbish.
The police will determine whether or not he broke the law. The SFA can determine already whether or not he broke the laws of the game.
It’s not up for debate what he actually did.
I find it absolutely pathetic that there are people in the media defending this as some harmless prank. It certainly was not. It was a provocation to the supporters, and that kind of thing is not a joke — not in that fixture, not in those circumstances.
Everyone who’s trying to turn it into one is well aware of that. And that’s what makes me angriest about it. This is not much ado about nothing. This is not people getting in a strop over a minor matter. This is a serious issue. What he did was beyond stupid and dangerous, and we’re not supposed to just laugh that off.
Imagine that that incident had caused serious disorder. Who’d have got blamed for that? The fans would have got blamed for it. Celtic would have got blamed for it. And maybe that’s why the media can be so blasé about it.
Maybe that’s why they can make it a joke — because they know that the joke would have been on us had his behaviour sparked a major incident. These are the same people who, in the run-up to the game, were saying that the onus was on the fans to prove that they could behave.
These people are very, very quick to blame supporters whenever something happens inside the ground. But they want us to ignore an incident on the pitch which could have sparked a very serious situation, on account that they found it funny. Read some of the comments if you don’t believe me; one Record hack has pretty much said that those of us complaining about it should get a life.
But this fixture is not a joke. This is a fixture with a body count. To be cavalier about an incident which could have created chaos is disgusting.
Playing down the incident in the way some of the media has tried to do just shows them up, as far as I’m concerned. It’s impossible to take seriously people who behave with such casual intellectual dishonesty.
There isn’t a one of them who doesn’t know how serious this could have been. There isn’t a one of them who doesn’t know that it was crass, idiotic behaviour. There isn’t a one of them who doesn’t know that the SFA should have come down very, very hard already. There isn’t a one of them who does not know how they would have responded had even one fan lost the plot.
The rush to defend this guy is, frankly, disgraceful. And the chorus, of course, is being led by those at The Record with their pro-Ibrox leanings — not one of whom would have been in such a forgiving mood had this been Alistair Johnston. Had it been Nicolas Kuhn. Had it been Daizen Maeda. Had it been Adam Idah.
We’ll see if anything comes of it this week, but nobody is holding their breath. Because the SFA is just as gutless and hypocritical as the media is, and I’ll be surprised — very surprised — if he gets sanctioned by the governing body for this. But he should.
Law 12 is quite clear on goal celebrations. They are largely only punishable if they incite the crowd or are deemed unacceptable e.g. Robbie Fowler fined £60k for mimicking cocaine snorting. Gaza was fined £20k for his flute celebration which was considered highly inflammable because of the occasion and location.
Given that the hugging of your own fans is a booking offence then the pissing of water all over them most definitely merits the severest of punishments. Look at that scumbag Djiouf who spat on our fans and how abhorrent society found it to be.
This guy should be facing common assault charges as well as a hefty ban by the SFA. But bearing in mind the polis let the huns into our house with pyrotechnics whilst kettling our own fans and stopping them getting in, then seemingly standing by and watching them huns cause widespread criminal damage to our house with no action taken, then it would seem they have no stomach for doing their job. Their policy is not to involve themselves at the time, to avoid inflaming a situation, but rather pick perpetrators up at a later date, so we shall wait and see if they do that with this guy.
I won’t hold my breath that the SFA will make an example of him either.
James, I sit at the front of the Main Stand and yes I was skooshed, I’m at the age I laughed it off eventually, but it did cause uproar. Let me state at this point that Cerny deliberately squirted the contents of his bottle at the crowd, his weak excuse is just utter pish!!. Let us also not forget this area of the Main stand is a family section accommodating younger fans therefore in my opinion he should be hauled over the coals by the SFA but I won’t hold my breath. If Celtic had come out and made a bigger deal of this then it may have adjusted the dial towards the SFA acting quicker but hey ho we got a short statement instead.
What has also been failed to mention is Diomande also threw a bottle of Lucozade in to the crowd also, catching the young guy that sits in front of me., The stewards and the Police are aware of this as they came over and spoke to him and retrieved the Bottle. It looks like the SFA and Celtic are waiting to it all calms down and becomes yesterdays news. If the shoe was on the other foot and I had skooshed any of the Rangers (and believe me I sit close enough) I would have no doubt been removed from the stadium possibly charged by the Police and definitely banned by Celtic. Yeah you are also correct if this was a Celtic player it would be relentless until charges had been made.
Can you imagine the fallout if Neil Lennon had done what Cerny did at Ipox. There would have absolute carnage on the day followed by a witch hunt by the media and Lennon getting an extensive ban. The fact the SFA have done SFA about it is disgraceful.
Remember the furore when Leigh Griffiths “provoked” the ire of the ibrox fans when he had the audacity to tie a Celtic scarf to the ibrox posts? Dire warnings of the consequences of this unnecessary provocation verged on the apoplectic – and that was just the media. The club went as far as detailing a steward to “protect the integrity” of the posts.
There was no direct contact with any fan. Anyone who didn’t like what they were seeing had the option of looking elsewhere. What option did the Celtic fans have? Anyone sitting in the front rows was right in the firing line.
Has there been an apology? Has the club, or Cerny even tried to spin it as a bit of over emotional hi-jinks that went OTT? Or is he still smirking, safe in the knowledge that when the football authorities come for him, they will bare their toothless gums, before smiling benignly and telling him not to do it again.
“Has there been an apology? Has the club, or Cerny even tried to spin it as a bit of over emotional hi-jinks that went OTT?”
I think that’s the most damning thing Jimmy. IF Cerny and the club had come out the next day and apologised with a contrite “in the heat of the moment the emotion of a late winner got the better of him and he’s aware of his responsibilities as a footballer in such games and it won’t happen again etc etc” statement and made an offer to pay say £500 to a chosen charity of each the individuals (who got soaked) then I would happily have accepted it was simply a genuine bit of over-zealous celebrations and that a one match ban without any police involvement would suffice.
HOWEVER there hasn’t been a word from either of them (unusual for Club “statement o’clock”!) not one bit of contrition, hell not even a statement saying the club and the manager have had a quiet word in his shell like. Compare and contrast with their immediate statement about their management/coaches being targeted with “objects” etc. As a result I want the book thrown at him by the SFA and for the police to actually charge him with assault.
Not being over dramatical but the front row is folk with additional needs/mobility issues etc. Who knows what getting water thrown on you may have. Shock to the system etc. He will get a slap on the wrists at worst. Last laugh is on him when he leaves end of the season with absolutely no trophies.
He is lucky that I never got soaked by him…
Now many a time I’ve been soaked and soaked people in younger hi jinks days from back in 19 Canteen…
I even got covered in spew in a drunken sleep coming in the back of a van from the dancing decades ago – Best clothes, hair the full fuckin monty – But hey that’s your mates and all’s fair in puppy love and puppy war…
But this cunt – While nobody wants to ever be a grass – we are talking about one Sevco dickhead here…
Straight down to London Road please guys n ghirls…
Don’t hold your breath for action tho !!!
As it was an Ibrox water bottle chances are it was filled up in the bog.