For the sake of Celtic, time to look each other in the eye

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Yesterday’s statement by Celtic was clear and unambiguous.  The club are aware of reports of ill-treatment of supporters by police and have an established process in place to handle concerns, directed through the umbrella Fans Against Criminalisation Group (incorporating Association, GB, Affiliation, Irish Association and Trust).  Two complaints have been received and actioned since December, which sounds like we have an under-reporting issue.

I am very pleased they have committed to form a Complaints Panel, with representatives from the support and the club.  We are the one family so there is no need for the club to manage complaints, the support is more than qualified on this matter.  This is important as it gives supporters oversight and ensures the club cannot act behind supporters’ backs on such an important issue, which should ensure that going forward matters are dealt with properly.

This is the response I wanted from Celtic.

Celtic also suggest accusations they have targeted supporters are “without foundation”, asking “What would be the Club’s motivation for being involved in activity which targets or victimises supporters? It is simply not true. It does not make sense.”  It makes no sense, of course.

Statements from the Green Brigade on Saturday, and the Affiliation committee (who believe they were referred to in the Green Brigade’s statement) today, raise some real concerns.

If, as the Affiliation suggest, “In recent weeks have seen finger pointing, whispers, rumours and lies aimed at organisations and individuals within them from sections of our own support”, we have a poison in our midst.

These matters are important enough (to me, anyway) for all parties to require clarification.  Get whoever said what to whom about whoever in a room together.  You will soon find out who has the cojones to look everyone else in the eye, and you will find out who is damaging your football club.

Lest we forget, these matters are a result of First Fantasist Alex Salmond’s Offensive Behaviour at Football’ Bill.  The consequences of which were predicted by Fans Against Criminalisation Group, as well as Celtic, who in their written submission to the Justice Committee (sic) said as much:

“The legislation potentially discriminates against the football supporter by reason of that person being a football supporter. It criminalises him or her for being a football supporter and not only because of the nature of his or her behaviour. In other words, exactly the same behaviour could be deemed illegal if performed by a football supporter, while not constituting an offence by anyone not participating in a football environment.

“An offence of “offensive behaviour“ and the test of the reasonable person, are introduced in section 1(2) (e). This test is extremely wide and creates considerable uncertainty over what is or is not acceptable.

“If this offence is to be introduced notwithstanding our comments above, clear guidelines should be published by the Lord Advocate to explain what sorts of conduct are considered as offensive or unacceptable. The potential for confusion in the absence of clear and consistent guidelines is potentially limitless and runs the risk of the law becoming unenforceable, or brought into disrepute.”

The Scottish Government passed sloppy legislation and put extraordinary funds into a policing project which only serves to make them look clueless.
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382 Comments

  1. bournesouprecipe

     

     

    15:22 on 19 February, 2013

     

     

    Post a picture of your Dog

     

     

    ——

     

     

    My wee dug Murphy would look the dogs in that.

     

    Need to get into the superstore next home match!!

     

     

    HH

     

    /Bishop B

  2. Celtic Mac

     

     

    15:16 on 19 February, 2013

     

     

    The legislation is designed to even up the score.

     

     

    Christine Graham said so.

     

     

    Surely you know that?

     

     

    The SNP have an agenda against us. They always have had. We aren’t Scottish enough for them.

  3. Ten Men Won The League @14:39 it’ll go something like this

     

     

    Season ticket holder “Why was I banned for one game?”

     

    Complaints Panel “Because Celtic said so.” – “NEXT?!”

     

     

    Matter raised directly and addressed (directly).

     

     

    For reasons of privacy Celtic cannot tell us the names of the parties involved.

     

    They can tell the polis. And they will.

  4. We are one of the few clubs in Europe never mind the UK to be well run and not exceeding our spending to turnover ratio. We’ve turned things around, as well as being well run by the back room staff, we’re well run by NL. OK done mistakes have been made, but we’re not privy to all the information he has.

     

    It is a long way from the Mowbray era, short thankfully that it was. HH

  5. the long wait is over on

    Sorry if already asked – is the game on tv tonight – cant find it.

     

     

    Cheers.

     

     

    tlwio

  6. BSR @ 15.30

     

    A combo of the ole lateral movement and the bouncy bouncy. A health & safety minefield!

  7. The three categories of marches/protesst as defined in the last report commissioned by the Scottish Government.

     

    Orange – 50%. Increasing.

     

    Other – 49%. Steady.

     

    Catholic – 1%. On the wane.

     

     

    BTW the above is not the BBC shipping forecast.

  8. The Battered Bunnet on

    Just ‘cos I’m obstinate and cussed, I feeling overwhelmingly compelled to point out that the powers under which the Police are able to use surveillence and monitoring of football ultras, the whole GB ‘harassment’ thing, derive from the Terrorism Act 2000 and its many subsequent varients, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the OBAFTC Act.

     

     

    The OB Act is used to press charges following specific offences occuring.

     

     

    The OB Act is sloppy legislating, breaching a number of principles of the ECHR, and should be written out imo.

     

     

    The Terrorism Act is an altogether different beast. Think of the OB Act as a stinging nettle compared the the TA’s Triffid.

     

     

    For all those unionist leftie huggers on the blog lately, the Terrorism Act was the brainchild of the UK Labour government, maintained and enhanced for 10 years, and embraced by their ConDem pals thereafter.

     

     

    Alex Salmond and his collection of trite tartanites have a long way to go before they can even conceive of such appalling derogation of freedoms.

  9. Why should we want to be part of ‘the establishment’

     

     

    We’re different.

     

     

    We are Celtic.

     

     

    Its in our genes.

  10. musters,

     

     

    Sorry you don’t see what I mean but that’s how I feel.

     

     

    In Scotland, some, like PC McCrindle, equate Catholic with Tim with Irish with pest, to be controlled. For him to feel he spout such vitriol openly on Facebook, says it all for me. Like our Justice Minister praising 20,000 odd for a constant stream of sectarian bile that emanated from Hampden into homes all over Scotland does leave me dreading such people ever having a decisive voice about my place in this country.

  11. bournesouprecipe

     

    15:22 on

     

    19 February, 2013

     

    Post a picture of your Dog

     

    ———————————-

     

    Whats that skippy.?…roos too?

  12. I'm Neil Lennon (tamrabam) on

    I find it difficult to believe that it’s in the clubs interest to harass our own supporters, and I also find it hard to quash the GBs version of events either. Unfortunately in a fitba game nowadays you need to give your bank details, Name and address etc. Not like the old jungle where anonymity was a perk. If the glesga Polis approach Celtic and ask for the names and addresses of the folks who sit in seat number xxx, Celtic can’t really refuse to provide that, can they? (maybe data protection perhaps?)

     

    Who at CP has the power to “ban” a fan for one game etc. Does anyone have that power? Are we looking at isolated ticketing bunders or is it more than that?

     

    Regardless, there is only one way forward and that is to get the appropriate fholks together and conduct this enquiry behind closed doors. Too much public washing going on just now.

  13. CultsBhoy loves being 1st forever & ever on

    ok football gurus give me your views on Boy’s Club football philosophy

     

     

    the age old chestnut of streaming on ability is haunting me..My team is a top A League team..some players really only B standard.

     

     

    Do I keep trying to develop them?

     

    Do I get them in B team to increase their pitch time?

     

    Do I hold on to them and let them determine their own destiny?

     

     

    Hate this…

  14. The Battered Bunnet

     

     

    15:49 on 19 February, 2013

     

     

     

     

    The difference being of course that one piece of legislation, however misconceived, was intended to counter a real and serious threat whereas the other wasn’t.

     

     

    Buses and tube trains being blown up is a wee bit different to football fans waiving banners.

  15. South of Tunis,

     

     

    If memory serves me, Bonnie Prince Charlie, his faither and brother are among those buried nearest where they believe they discovered St Peter’s remains. I remember visiting the Scavi (underneath the Vatican) with a party which included some Americans. They reckoned we Scots must be really something to have our royals buried there. (By the bye, I know there is a mausaleum in St Peter’s itself; their actual graves are below ground.)

  16. pedrocaravanachio67 on

    Kilbowie kelt @ 14.23

     

     

    Comparing my tongue in cheek answer to kickinthenakas to an American civil rights activist is a tad extreme, in fact I’d go as far to say it’s muppetry at it’s best.

     

     

    Given your moniker…. Are u Hugh Keevins?

  17. The Battered Bunnet on

    Cultsbhoy

     

     

    The answer to the question is in the question itself: Boys Club Football.

     

     

    It’s about the boys.

     

     

    I have the same situation at U16, and my view is that the club belongs to the boys for the boys’ benefit. My job is to help them enjoy it.

     

     

    Provided they’re prepared to put in the effort, that’s good enough for me.

     

     

    TBB

  18. i’m neil lennon (tamrabam…

     

     

    Unfortunately the world now resembles George Orwell’s 1984 more than ever. He was just 30 years out.

  19. Since the abolition of the University Constituencies in the 50’s, the establishment in Scotland have had to make do with one man one vote like the rest of us. This greatly upset a lot of male Tories, particularly the ones who lost their jobs.

     

    So when you look at how “Tory” Scotland was, remember that some of the blighters voted twice.

     

     

    I quite like the idea of an extra vote if you’re a graduate.