We don’t owe our modern greats anything, all of them were suitably compensated for services rendered, but one suffered more than most for wearing green and white hoops. For what he endured to play for and manage Celtic, Neil Lennon will always receive my respect and gratitude.
He became the most racially abused person in Scotland’s history. Even his treatment by his peers at court is a stain on a nation that lies to itself about its collective moral code with great conviction.
Oh, you didn’t know about the vulnerabilities? Well, he has only written about and discussed them for the best part of a decade. There can be no doubt these wounds were exposed during 2020. When he needed support, he found levels of hostility without precedent, from some, because of his race, from others, because of football results.
The man at the centre of the storm will not care where you to fit these two groups into an ethical hierarchy, but I suspect I know the actions of which caused the most emotional trauma. Still, football results, and all that. Just because we can find a neighbour below us on the ethical scale, does not make us ethical.
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If you know your history we should never fear or be afraid of those who oppose Celtic FC
Sir Robert Kelly and Fergus McCann were such men
Of course, these men weren’t compromised, they didn’t sell their soul and lie for a 5-way agreement to save the Rangers and the business of the old firm, oh how they must laugh at the irony of kicking the ass of the man who saved them
Magistrates made to the SFA following these shameful scenes was, “That the two clubs should avoid displaying flags which might incite feeling among the spectators.” Cheerled and undoubtedly influenced by SFA Secretary, George Graham (who had a deep-rooted derision for Celtic and all that the club stood for) and Hibs’ Chairman, Harry Swan (who was then the acting SFA President), the Referee Committee of the SFA thereafter voted 26-7 to prevent Celtic from flying any, “flag or emblem which had no association with football or Scotland.” Ultimately, Celtic were ordered to remove the tricolour which had been displayed for 30 years, and which had been replaced when Taoiseach Eamon De Valera (Prime Minister of Ireland) gifted them a new one in homage to the club’s very foundation.
Celtic’s punishment for refusing to remove the flag? Expulsion from the league.
Despite being signed prior to the transfer deadline, the S.F.A. deliberately delayed processing Cadete’s registration in time for a Scottish Cup tie against Rangers at Hampden, and he ended up missing six games in total.
Following a complaint and then legal action from Celtic chairman Fergus McCann, SFA chief Jim Farry was eventually relieved of his duties after being found guilty of deliberately holding back Jorge Cadete’s registration by a committee of arbitration almost three years after the event.
Fergus was heavily criticised upto the judgement, with many espousing cliches and cartoonish charactures about Fergus, and made him an easy target. Fergus though was vindicated as he won this, and there are many in retrospect who were left with egg on their face after this, and that even included certain pockets of Celtic supporters who had based their judgements on the mainstream media articles.
In January 1997 in a crunch league match with Rangers at Ibrox Stadium, Cadete was yet again the victim of controversial action. The striker netted to make the game 2-2 but the linesman ruled the goal offside. Television evidence went on to prove the goal was in fact legitimate. Celtic went on to lose 3-1 thanks to a Jorg Albertz free kick and Erik Bo Andersen double for Rangers.
Many Celtic fans have taken this as vindication that there was extreme bias against Celtic by authorities, and Jim Farry had been charactured repeatedly as some Kafka-eque bureaucrat. The truth is somewhere in between. Jim Farry was actually a hard working mandarin for the SFA, and his biggest failing was the lack of reform of the SFA. He wasn’t the only problem here, and the whole SFA needed an overhaul. Sadly it hasn’t still happened, and there have been various commentators on both sides who like to take potshots over this episode at the other. The SFA seriously messed up, and should have acknowledged this immediately. It is a modern age and old school masterly gentleman agreements are no longer valid.
On the other hand, maybe Tom Crampsey (journalist) got it right when he asked:
‘Does the suspension hint at something darker: the deliberate obstructionism at which Celtic themselves have seemed to point?’
If the errors were more due to incompetence, bureaucracy or staff error, then should Farry really have been right to have lost his role? Or as many Celtic fans believe, was this all part of a unwritten policy of bias against Celtic? Rangers were going for nine-in-a-row, and they were the establishment’s favoured son. Celtic were a shambles for many years until Fergus McCann arrived but this successful action was a step back to respectability.
For McCann’s tenacity, you have to admire his courage and strength through all this. He was guided by a professional work ethic and personal moral code, and his victory had very great ramifications. It was finally good to see Celtic get on top for a change. Prior boards preferred committee meetings and sit-downs, but as history has shown, this is too often an inefficient and often crony system.
For Jim Farry, he may have deserved the consequences that came with the final decisions, but really he was not the only problem, and it could be fairly said that he was a fall guy for others in the SFA.
…..” aww an’ a nearly forgoat…………..the wans that are tellin’ us that yer guilty huv been openly guilty of the thing you’re screaming abooot noo fur decades an’ decades…………”
Aye , right enough………GUILTY!
Fix fitba’ : Empty Hampden.
BANKIEBHOY1 on 14TH APRIL 2021 6:59 PM
______
Don’t know your age but I’ll bet that the “problem” won’t change in your lifetime, it won’t in mine
Only way for Celtic to win anything in Scotland is beat their closest rival, the referees, the establishment
We need to be way way better than the rest or get annihilated as demonstrated this season
Let’s hope the culprit gets his phone rammed where the reception ain’t so good.
Fiver…………
The only way for Scotland to change is if they are forced to ditch thur scoddish footballing relationship with hundom……………….until they do that we all suffer. And the game
The rest of the teams seem happy enough to accept hun hegemony…………
useful idiots are often rolled oooot to spout “O&& F&&&” guff that we both benefit from Hampden’s myopia…………….but we dont, they do…..
Our second untainted Nine is testament to clean sporting endeavor……..their shame is covered up by compliant nuggets who wear their heart on their scarf.
…and the game we all Support comes off second best.
….oh, and we do have a better team than them……….this season was dutched from the start the Dreggin’ Dragon played her part. Yes we made mistakes, howlers……but, but, but………….
BANKIEBHOY1 on 14TH APRIL 2021 7:43 PM
100% agree but for the foreseeable future I don’t see an alternative other than being waaaay better
Almost invincible every season
That’s been my biggest complaint for 10 seasons
I never bad talked Neil Lennon just didn’t believe that his appointment was the way forward to be invincible in Scotland
We had a manager in BR that put us on the right path but the board didn’t like his demands for authority and autonomy on the football side and now we are where we are
ALEX RAE
SAYS EUFA CARRIED OUT A WHITEWASH
Sticks and stones … will get you a four match ban,
But words will get you ten.
Racial abuse is abhorrent of course. But I struggle when tens of thousands do so every game at Ibrox but the team they support remain deaf dumb and blind about it.
Fiver………..
“invincible”………..aye, but, but, but ……..that’s easy just ask the huns or hibs last week, or,,,,,or,,,,,, or………
We did it the hard way, we did it the right way.
Aye.
” Penalty to the rainjurz! ”
Don’t make me lafffffffff.
great telling off paul67
SUPERSUTTON on 14TH APRIL 2021 8:03 PM
Not gonna change anytime soon
BANKIEBHOY1 on 14TH APRIL 2021 8:06 PM
Fiver………..
“invincible”………..aye, but, but, but ……..that’s easy just ask the huns or hibs last week, or,,,,,or,,,,,, or………
We did it the hard way, we did it the right way.
Aye.
” Penalty to the rainjurz! ”
Don’t make me lafffffffff.
—-
We were unbeaten for 8 seasons invincible for 1 and still had the same shit penalties, dubious offside and all yes we did it the hard way that’s what I’m saying but to do it we need to be way better than the rest
Not enough to have same squad same budget think back to Murray years
Oh aye!
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Ok
Have a great night
;))))
It’s Always Good To Be A Tim……………..
:))))
No doubt if sevco go through the league unbeaten they will claim that this equates with Brendan’s achievement. There is one obvious and glaring difference. We had 34 victories and 4 draws in our league campaign. We were pockled in 3 of the 4 draws. Against Inverness, sevco and Ross county. Only Partick deserved their draw.
Compare and contrast this to sevco’s achievement. They have yet to concede a penalty and haven’t received 1 red card.
In Brendan’s first league game against hearts they were awarded a joke penalty when the hearts player dived to the ground when there wasn’t any contact. He was later banned.
This season sevco players have received 3 retrospective red cards. In 3 games sevco should have been playing with 10 men. 9 points could have been 0 points.
They have been given every advantage, even from the politicians. We have had every obstacle placed in our way, even by the politicians.
We should use this as motivation in our remaining games.
Win the cup game and then win the league game. Burst their claim of going through the league season unbeaten.
2 victories please.
Struggle to understand
A witnessed therefore proven physical is a 3 match ban
What action will Police Scotland take 🤔 UEFA have evidence
Yet verbal abuse ( not making light of any form of racism), 1 players word against another
Is worth 10 games
Interesting concept if the law had to adopt that level of justice
55 year ago tonight we gubbed the “mighty reds” 1-0 going on 5. 5 days later we were undeniably robbed of a place in the Final by weak refereeing and that’s without the help of the bonkle bigot as is occurring lately.
So I am ecstatic that scummy scouse mob are out of the Big Cup tonight. I have no doubt that the Anfield ludge has helped facilitate their brither up the road. Eff them and double eff them.
If a player is racially abused and then goes down the tunnel and in full view of witnesses, assaults his abuser, any governing body cannot turn a blind eye to that. This faux outrage about a 3 match ban for an assault is nonsensical. What if a player misheard something or it was lost in translation. Players cannot be allowed to go around battering other players. It would set an untenable precedent. It’s baffling how many journalists and high profile ex players seem unable to understand this.
LIONROARS67 on 14TH APRIL 2021 7:25 PM – hear hear.
NORRIE – absolutely; “Kudela said something” the Guardian reports…
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/14/slavia-prague-ondrej-kudela-10-match-uefa-ban-for-racist-behaviour-at-rangers-glen-kamara
Yet Slavia seems to have accepted its punishment and moderated its defence of their player. TRFC say Kamara’s ban for physical assault is excessive – someone mentioned statecraft; indeed
Now Seedorf wants a yellow card for any player who covers his mouth to speak to an opponent, putting an end to more classic sledging like ‘Yer maw’s a bun’, ‘Your burd loves ma boaby’ and the quintessential slur ‘Poof’.
Tontine.re Liverpool.made me smile.
hh
Was offline for a while due to work commitments…I asked earlier on if anyone thought Glen Kamara was lying,I also pointed out that it was a sick joke that Sevco are trying to claim the moral high ground despite their ground having sections closed for their fans racism and the racial abuse recently handed out by Sevco fans to Scott Sinclair which was caught on camera but didn’t seem to cause that much media outrage plus countless other acts of racism…I know all this and so does everyone else but the question I asked which no one answered was “does anyone think Glen Kamara was lying ?…I dont and as I stated earlier he deserves our support just like our captain backed him.
The fundamental difference with the racism issue.
Players being racist.
Fans being racist.
For distinguishing between apples and oranges, arguments sake, we should keep the two separate.
…and in say Ing that, we should add in a third entity:
Clubs being racist.
Good morning all from a beautiful crisp morning in the Garngad
So we still have no manager in place.
I am begining to think there must be a plan in place and that Eddie Howe is that plan and will be unveiled on Monday or Tuesday, although I would unveil any new management team on Sunday before playing sevco. But I think it will be Monday or Tuesday.
As surely we are not just bumbling along with no plan……..
There is no place for ANY form of racism in a modern society and IF it’s a big IF Kamara was abused then his abuser deserves all he gets.
Having said that I cannot stand any former Hun player being righteous over this as they are caught up in THE most racist of clubs in the world 2nd only to the KKK and just in front of the Irange Order.
So if we are serious about cutting racism from our society then the 1st game at Ipox with fans there will tell us all we need to know.
D :)
Irange order = Orange order
Also I find it hard to watch Graeme Souness after his time at ipox and the interview in the dressing room with Chick Dung and all the players singing bigoted songs and he says to one ” go on join in and fill yer boots” or words to that effect.
He should never be on our screens.
D :)
Excellent article on Prince Phillip
The truth is that there is no escaping the haunting legacy of empire. Its ghosts have long taken possession of our royal family, turning them into emperors without colonies, bounty hoarders without raids, conquerers without wars. Instead, they are the heads of a Commonwealth in which the colonised are rebranded “friends” with “a shared history”. This is fantasy stuff.
https://twitter.com/guardianopinion/status/1382577061315768321?s=20
QUADROPHENIAN on 14TH APRIL 2021 10:53 PM
Now Seedorf wants a yellow card for any player who covers his mouth to speak to an opponent, putting an end to more classic sledging like ‘Yer maw’s a bun’, ‘Your burd loves ma boaby’ and the quintessential slur ‘Poof’.
Yes oh the banter glad you cleaned some of them up for the blog, cliche time, been there, heard it, seen it, got the t-shirt
Prince Phillip loved the banter, it was all just a joke
As is the idea – ludicrously popular in tributes to Prince Philip – that he was some kind of frustrated comedian. We have all by now been reminded of his famous remarks: telling the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who was wearing national dress, “You look like you’re ready for bed”; or advising British students in China not to stay too long or they would end up with “slitty eyes”. A Black British, Cambridge-educated friend of mine received a classic Prince Philip “compliment” when she met him”“You speak English beautifully!” he said.
In the past few days we’ve heard numerous euphemisms deployed to cover these outbursts without calling them what they were. “His ‘gaffes’ were typical of the clubbish humour of the officer class.” He was “politically incorrect”, and “blunt”
aff oot
QUADROPHENIAN on 14TH APRIL 2021 10:53 PM
Now Seedorf wants a yellow card for any player who covers his mouth to speak to an opponent, Haaland and Foden banned check video at 5.40 end of the match
https://youtu.be/k5iJV2cYCt8
Interesting take on C/L and Money
@ChampionsLeague
semi finalists 20/21 brought to you by Gazprom
*Russian Oil
*Qatari Gas
*Abu Dhabi Royals
and
Real Madrid
Def aff oot
My friends in Celtic,
We all remember the infamous Zinedine Zidane incident where he was sent off for head butting Marco Materazzi.
He insulted Zidane’s sister ( not his mother as was initially reported )
Was Zidane right to lash out ?
Was the insult not too bad as it wasn’t racial?
Are insults tolerable providing race isn’t mentioned?
Must this form of gamesmanship now cease.?
Should players protect themselves by not communicating with opposing players?
Should managers instruct players not to communicate with opposing players to protect the club. ?
What if Kamara thought he heard a racist insult, but he was wrong ?
What if Kamara used the incident to deflect from his teams thuggery?
Should sectarianism be classed as racism ?
Should players or managers refuse to be interviewed unless they have legal representation with them ?
Should normal ” banter” on the park be outlawed.?
Should we have defended Tonev for ” unproven” allegations? Or does probability now apply to every incident ?
Rather than educate and help race relations these ” unproven” anomalies are setting race relations back.
Let’s ask ourselves an uncomfortable question. Would the past and ongoing disgraceful” treatment ” of NFL have been tollerated had he hailed from Lagos rather than Lurgan.?
So many questions, so little answers and do they help with our aspiration of equality for all. ?
HH to all.
One other point on this Sevco Sparta nonsense
I take it UEFA have condoned the locking out of dressing room for over 45 mins by Sevco for the Sparta team
This holding them in the tunnel allowed sufficient time to have a Sparta player assaulted
Are Masonic friends in position at UEFA pulling favours for their favourites 🤔
Why does CQN indulge in daily Record/Sun style headlines like, Celtic Flop Seals Deal?
Greenpinata on 15th April 2021 7:50 am
My friends in Celtic,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Excellent post.
HH
ziggydoc1 on 15th April 2021 8:28 am
Totally agree mate, not lazy journalism??