Well done to the Daily Record for revealing that SFA referee, Eddie Smith, was the policeman who reported Celtic fans to Uefa for singing offensive songs against Rennes last month. Smith was one of the referees who declined to make his services available as referees went on strike last season while Celtic took-on the SFA amid accusations of lies, bullying, sectarian behaviour and cover-ups among referees at the association. He is no longer on the Grade 1 list.
Following the strike the SFA Head of Referee Administration was removed from his post and referee, Dougie MacDonald, who was accused of lying to Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, resigned, prompting then-Celtic chairman, Dr John Reid, to say the club felt vindicated in raising their concerns.
Vindicated, no doubt, but with more than a few feeling bitter towards the club.
While the Daily Record can reflect on some good work today, bizarrely, the Scotsman newspaper accused Celtic fans of sectarian chanting at the Rennes game, something even police-gossip, Eddie Smith, didn’t accuse them of.
Why stop at accusations of sectarian behaviour? If the Scotsman are going to be ridiculous, why not accused Celtic fans of genocide and treason? Better still, just say lots of them have funny names, go to strange schools but will never ascent to the British throne.
Celtic have 123-years of non-sectarian history, it is downright offensive to suggest otherwise.
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Fortunes Favour Mibbes says:
15 November, 2011 at 01:41
Good post.
Anecdotally, I know in the big picture, but it still draws me back to the time a Celtic Fan ran onto the pitch and touched (yes touched) Dida the AC Milan Keeper.
The BBC went into total meltdown with talk of sanctions from the instant it occurred, and ran stories for days, and literally airbrushed Celtic winning a football match against a Serie A side.
They attempted to besmirch NL for “reacting” to being attacked by a Hearts fan, and made inference ‘he fought back’
They will not stop at Ooh Ahh Up The Celts, (or whatever the charge) the truth is they’ll make up something else, and sadly it won’t end there.
Weeminger
Just another reason why Celtic will not face any problems from UEFA
This is all bluster and designed for media distribution to blacken our name. I have spent the last 14 hours listening to radio 5 while working and have never heard the word Celtic so many times in one day. It was a lead story on the early news bulletins and sports headlines and was continually mentioned in the later ones even after the under 21 results. They have managed to get national coverage from the BBC all day. It will probably even make the daily mail in England tomorrow and they never cover any Scottish football story. I wait to see if we get the same coverage when it is found there is no case to answer
I doubt it somehow
BB
BB
At that it’s time for bed
Good night all
As an aside to the oooh aaaah or Paddy McC song.
My son was in an Irish bar on the Gold Coast (Australia) last weekend, him and a mate met up with a crowd of Japanese, they split them up into two groups and had them singing….. Paddy McCourts….. Fenian army…… I would have loved that, ps I dont think any of theyre Japanese friends took offence…… see Glesga polis!
V
HH
bournesouprecipe @ 01:56
Cheers. It really is depressing stuff.
Brian Boru @ 01:57
If the Celtic Board can say anything about this now, they must come Dec 8th. This is more depressing than the shunannigans at the SFA last year. Not as depressing as the physical attacks on our manager or the verbal assaults on him from the meeja. But another form of attack, this time on the reputation of the Club.
It’s beyond sinister.
Vmhan♣ @ 02:06
That’s what it’s about :))
Off to me scratcher now; g’night all.
Jinky dirty old town
FFB, don’t be depressed ….think about it as a window of opportunity, CFC should take out a full page spread in all the major newspapers, refuting the accusation and informing the readers of Celtics proud history and how we’re an all inclusive club.
The huns rioted in Manchester etc during that fateful year and a few years earlier we were bestowed with awards for our supporters…… the Europeans will get it…… but we must fight back, sitting back on yir hind end is to roll over and accept the kicking…… rise up Celtic and fight you’re corner.
V
HH
Raymac says:
15 November, 2011 at 01:31
the P
An excellent post, with opinion backed by experience. I grew up singing songs which addressed incidents the british news covered in only the loosest sense, so my world view was to basically reject that and pick up on hearsay at CP. I even bought a couple of Wolftones tapes, but they did strike me as a folk band who were trying to ‘cash in’ on prejudice. Still like some of the funy numbers they came out with, but am eternally confused by ‘Rockall’.
Fortunes Favour Mibbes
My last post was for you amigo HH.
V
Bob Ag
Rockall:
Probably something to do with this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2970276892066935736#
“Now former Scotland star Pat Nevin – who revealed to the Scottish Parliament last month that he stopped taking his son to Parkhead because of the IRA chanting – says any attempt to clean up the game has to be welcomed.
Nevin said: ‘Since that parliamentary meeting my views have softened to Celtic Football Club.
“Peter has been incredibly outspoken against the chanting and I applaud the club for publicly stating this view. I understand there’s a libertarian argument and a debate about what is offensive or illegal or political or cultural.
“But this is a football stadium – and chants about things other than football have no place inside the ground
“UEFA will look at this and make up their own mind – but at least Celtic have already shown the way by saying certain chants are unacceptable and have made it clear that they want it wiped out.” ”
—–
Man of principle continues to obsess about perceived issues within the club he used to support whilst remaining steadfast in silence regarding the real and ongoing issues of bigotry consistently demonstrated by large numbers of people outwith the main body of the Celtic support.
Pat Nevin – not a hun, only a hun apologist. He and his ilk sicken me!
KTF
Now into my third season of boycotting all SPL away grounds, i wish we could all see this is how to hurt them back were it hurts the most, financially!
Im sure a very smart club could exploit that situation
With some well placed individuals with recording equipment home fans could be recorded shouting/singing some illegal and very offensive stuff particularly if Paddy McCourt is playing, with the added bonus of no Celtic fans in the away end to blame. All evidence to be sent to UEFA before anyone in Scotland is notified.
Time to fight smart and dirty!
The positive from the ongoing demonisation of our club and support:
Whilst the ongoing unfair attacks by those who hate us also hurt us, our response as the indignant innocents is to bond more closely together in cultural unison.
That makes us bigger and better than them and, deep within, they know this!
Hence, they sing the BBs and do the bouncy and, in contrast, we sing YNWA and perform the Huddle.
KTF
Good morning friends from a dry and fairly mild (for November) East Kilbride.
Jobo
Paul McBride the voice of Celtic
QC Paul McBride has urged Celtic to take sactions against members of its Green Brigade section of fans who continue to glorify the IRA in song.
McBride, who has advised Celtic manager Neil Lennon, was reacting to news that Uefa is investigating alleged “illicit chanting” by the club’s supporters.
“The particular organisation who tend to be involved singing this are called the Green Brigade,” said McBride.
“Education has not worked and now it is time for sanctions.”
European football’s governing body in April fined Celtic’s city rivals, Rangers, £35,000 and banned their fans from their next away European game for sectarian singing in a match against PSV Eindhoven.
Now Celtic face an 8 December hearing over chants reported by Strathclyde Police’s match commander at their Europa League game against Rennes on 3 November.
“To be fair to Celtic, they do have, generally, a very good reputation with their fans in Europe,” said McBride about the club he supports.
“But we can’t ignore the fact that, for a number of years, there have been a small section of the Parkhead crowd who sing songs about the IRA and the provisional IRA and they dress it up by saying that it’s political and not religious and it’s not sectarian.
“But it misses the point entirely. It is offensive.
“What do you say to a 10-year-old child who asks his father why people are singing about killers at a football game?”
While McBride pointed out that the case against Celtic on this occasion had yet to be proven, he expected that it would result in tougher action from chief executive Peter Lawwell.
“Celtic, on the face of it, may have a case to answer and it may well be that, as it is the first time it has been drawn to Uefa’s attention, they will be simply given a warning,” he said.
“But it’s a warning shot to Celtic that they will have to deal with it as an issue.
“To be fair to Peter Lawwell, he has been doing that for the last couple of seasons.
“He has been discussing it with their so-called leaders, I am not sure their leaders are actually in control of all of them, but he has been discussing it with them.
“He has been making it clear publicly and privately, he doesn’t want this kind of activity and, in a crowd at Celtic Park of say 58,000, we are talking about no more than 500 people.
“So it can be done and I think, Peter, he won’t be embarrassed, he will be angry that the club’s otherwise excellent reputation is being diminished by this kind of activity and I think we’ll see fairly firm action over the next few weeks from the Celtic board.”
Celtic blogger Paul Brennan, though, suggested it was an insignificant problem at Celtic Park and did not know of any such singing at the match against Rennes.
“If the police have a matter that they want to act on then it’s the police’s responsibility to do so,” he said.
“And it’s certainly the police’s responsibility to alert the club there and then as to what’s going on.
“It does the club, it does the fans and our reputation as a nation no good for the police to go behind everyone’s back, take no action whatever on the day but raise it with an external body.”
However, Piara Powar, executive director of the FARE anti-racism network that has previously reported Rangers to Uefa, insists it is right to target sectarian chanting by both sides of the Old Firm.
“The extent of the problem we have seen in Glasgow has been around for years and years, but it’s only in the last 12 months that the authorities have really begun to get their heads around it,” he said.
“I think Scottish football had fallen into a place where there was a sense of ‘we don’t like what happens but the whole city is caught up with it’.”
Ah well there’s that John (Bull) Terry on the news biggin up his pride at being Engerlunds captain, the red,white and blue disease seems to be
endemic these days. Did he get arrested,charged and remanded……..thought not.
3 weeks and 2 days till 8/12/11 and Uefas verdict, there’ll be a lot more effort put in by the Stasi before that date to drive home their perceived
advantage and to get a reaction from the Celtic support, don’t fall into their traps.
Good to see the Stasi upholding the law on saturday when the ICF billy boys disrupted the FAC meeting, i hear they were singing the illegal
‘Famine Song’ so why no arrests ?
Off to work
Let’s be clear about one thing.
Alex Salmond has only one challenger when it comes to headline-grabbing – our very own QC !
Some on here were hoodwinked in recent months that he was in fact speaking for the common good of all Celtic fans.
Not at all. He is on a mission. He has already established himself as the media’s first port of call for a quote or view. And as one who swings (from one politicial extreme to another) he has no hesitation in following, nay leading the media bandwagon. Shameful.
Every single club up and down the UK has a selection of fans who sing offensive songs – why not recognise that? Why not categorise the (now) minority as simply that? Why not label them along with the fans of Man U who sing about Heysel (which is of course offensive, but I am not judging here), or the Liverpool fans? Is a call of “get onto these Geordie b”£$& s” any less offensive than a reference to “Fenian Army”?
But don’t let the reality get in the way Mr McBride. Do the suits bidding at the same time as putting your visage back on the net/tv, and proclaim that SANCTIONS should be dished out by the club. No details there of course but we all know he is talking about a ban.
Tell me this, will UEFA take action if we chant “GET TAE F$*£ PAUL MCBRIDE” ?
Maybe now is the time for the club to list the songs we should and shouldn’t sing.
We have very few songs that could be described as sectarian but we have a few that could easily be described as offensive.
No matter what we think many people, not just knuckle dragging Huns find songs about the IRA offensive.
As this recent UEFA complaint is a case of “ones as bad as the other” I look forward to the police reporting the Huns for singing loyalist songs.
I know folk will say the new legislation is wrong and political grandstanding, I agree.
Gooooooooooooooooooooood morning
C…………..
Q………….
N……………
Lovely day in the costa blanca
BigjoeinDaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahouse
One thought just occurred to me (and I know this’ll piss Cultsbhoy and Kingoh off because it is not about the ball getting kicked on the park – more about kicking balls off it – Emdy else think those 2 should start their own blog :-)))
anyway, where was I?
Oh yeah. Who was the UEFA match delegate for the game?
Billy feckin Boyne far Ibroxia?
MWD
Quite heavy cloud cover over North Ayrshire this morning.
This new, “offensive songs”, legislation is like an early Christmas present for those in Scotland who have always believed that Celtic fans were really the bad guys.
“We just KNEW it!”
Everybody now seems to be coming on board, even the previously-irksome UEFA.
Watching this travesty unfold is like a nightmare.
Let’s hope UEFA are not hoodwinked by in-house huns.
jhilday
I think we’ll get a warning about future behaviour as there wasn’t any sectarian singing (to my old ears).
If UEFA go by the book we’ll be guilty of political songs but under those rules so are many other clubs.
We’re getting to the stage where we’ll have to do what we’re told no matter how wrong we feel it is or the club will suffer. Those who said the Huns will implicate us when they were up on charges earlier this year were spot on.
They do sectarian we do political, UEFA won’t care about the difference.
Allgreen,
Agreed.
Good morning fellow Celts from mild, dry North Hampshire
There is a strong wind blowing through Celtic Park.
Reading back through yesterday’s blog, it seems to me some (not all) of the regular ‘CQN clique’ types, are a a bit ‘put out’ by the number of new names on the blog making their thoughts known regarding the singing of Ra songs at CP.
Are there hunposters ‘mixing it’? ..of course..but reading the depth of feeling on yesterday’s blog, it is clear that a significant part of this Celtic community (lurkers?) feel that singing Ra songs at Celtic Park, is no longer acceptable. They have finally spoken up.
Some of us have been banging on about it for long enough, and it was high time more spoke out. I was seriously beginning to wonder if they ever would. There were many good points made yesterday. One struck an instant chord with me…”I loved Celtic long before I had ever heard of the IRA’.
Celtic are the reason I love football and why I have been going to see the team play for over 40 years. The Ra have no place at CP.
There are still some who feel that Celtic and the Ra are linked together, that their Irishness is defined by the Republican struggle and Celtic Park is an acceptable outlet for those views. …Really?
There are people on here who will not like these posts one single bit, that is just tough! Some of them are bullies. There are others who may begin to question long held views. If you now feel it’s time to change, then say so, speak up or the bullies will think they are right.
It’s now, finally, time to stop the Ra songs at Celtic Park!
Let’s put this behind us and get back to the important issue of getting a winning team on the park.
HH
M
setting free the bears says:
14 November, 2011 at 22:27
JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS TO YOUR WELL CONSIDERED PIECE:
There are a couple of myths being peddled by those who claim the support of the “silent minority”. In no particular order:-
1) The GB sing sectarian songs. Now, you may find some songs offensive (DBBIA does not like Shane McGowan covering Glen Daly and I dislike The Carpenters doing Hank Williams) but you cannot have them stopped because you are offended. The GB are avowedly non-sectarian. Unlike some of you, however, they believe the Nationalist and Republican struggle was non-sectarian and was not a ploy to allow blood lust. They do not allow anti-protestant or SOB chanting and they do not assemble as a group at away matches.
I COULD BE MISTAKEN BUT DONT THINK ANYONE ON THE BLOG CLAIMED THE SONGS/CHANTS AS SECTARIAN. IF I AM OFFENDED I CAN: EXPAIN MY CASE & PLEAD FOR THEM TO STOP; I CAN COMPLAIN TO THE ‘OWNER’ OF THE PREMISES FOR HELP; I CAN START ANOTHER SONG TO OUT-SING THE OTHER DITTY; I CAN SHUT UP & CRINGE; I CAN STOP GOING. RESPECT YOUR INFO ABOUT GB NOT ALLOWING ANY SECTARIAN CONTRIBUTIONS BUT ASSUME YOU HAVE SOMETIMES HEARD ANTI PROTESTANT SONGS AT AWAY GAMES.
2) Stop it because it has nothing to do with football. 99.99% of songs sung at football have nothing to do with football, (YNWA, Forever blowing bubbles, Z cars theme, The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen, JCGE, Fields of Athenry, The Holy Ground, Hail Glorious St. Patrick, Penny Arcade etc;)
WELL YES, IN LITERAL SENSE THE ASSERTION IS VERY SILLY & YOU ARE COMPLETELY CORRECT. PERHAPS THOUGH IT IS MORE AN EXPRESSION OF CONFUSION AS TO WHY A SUPPORT WITH THE LARGEST SONG BOOK IN WORLD FOOTBALL (PROBABLY) HAS AN URGE TO USE THE ONES IT SOMETIMES DOES. WHY DO IT, WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION, WHAT IS IT INSPIRED BY, HOW DOES IT HELP?
3) Stop it because we’ll get in trouble for them. Eddie Smith’s referral to Uefa is not the first referral of our songbook. Why were we not punished before? We could have been punished for flying the tricolour; it was threatened after all. Some of the silent majority equivalents might have been arguing then that we should just take the flag down because we are only flying it as a provocation.
INTERESTINGLY, SOME YEARS AFTER ‘THE FLAG’ ISSUE SIR RK SERIOUSLY THOUGHT OF TAKING THE FLAG DOWN PRECISELY BECAUSE HE BELIEVED SOME FANS WERE FLAUNTING IT FOR EXACTLY THAT REASON. OF COURSE, OUT OF RESPECT OF OUR FOUNDATION & A PROFOUND UNDERSTANDING OF THE CATHOLIC & IRISH CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE IN SCOTLAND, HE DID NOT. HE CONTINUED HOWEVER TO SEND POWERFUL MESSAGES TO THE SUPPORT REGARDING PROVOCATION & REMINDING THEM CELTIC’S COLOURS WERE GREEN & WHITE – NO OTHER.
[aul mcbride might be saying something we dont agree with but it wold be foolish to disregard what he says. he’s a qc first and a celtic supporter second and as someone who;s closer to the legislative process than almost everyone he gives some very valuable insight. if we label people like him attention seekers or old firm fans and ignore them we’re in danger making ourselves impossible to deal with and backing ourselves into a corner. we need the colour that influential tims like him bring to the argument.
paul mcbride
According to the Daily Mail, Eddie Smith has reported us to the SPL for pro-IRA chanting at the home game against Hibs on Oct 29th
According to the SPL Operations Director Ian Blair, he says that Celtic would have to be found guilty of ‘negligence’, which he seems to think very unlikely
Morning all. Dark and overcast here at the minute.
Radio Scotland now saying the pro-IRA stuff is alledged illicit singing. Paul McBride says the pro-IRA stuff is offensive. If it is simply offensive, much of what is sung/chanted at each and every football ground would fit that description.
Good morning CELTIC QUICK NEWS from a besieged Rebel County…..
This currantly belting out from Rebel Radio
“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle of you…….”
;)
What will the Sleekit and hundermining muck spreaders put their feet into today?
Shameful.
neveralone
Please tell me the ‘anti protestant songs’ that are sung at away games.
Before anyone who does not recognise my username refers to me as a hun, I would like to point out that I have posted on this great site for 7 years, but very infrequntly recently.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such mixed feelings about a matter relating to our club.
I am disgusted at the role of the politicians, the police, the football authorities and the media. The antipathy of our club officials is really no better.
At the same time I am furious at the sheer selfishness and stupidity of some of our fans.
An investigation of some form at some time WAS INEVITABLE given the blatantly unfair environment in which we operate. What precious part of their love for Celtic are these supporters being asked to give up by dropping a song or changing a couple of lyrics? In what way would their enjoyment of football and matchday experience be lessened? References to the IRA offend many Celtic fans – that should have been enough regardless of any wider perceptions, fair or otherwise. Instead because of stubbornness and selfishness my club’s reputation is taking the mother of all kickings, all for the sake of something that really has nothing to do with Celtic. I really can’t thank you enough. And it was all so predicatable.
Morning all from gay Paree, morning fog should give way to a bit of sun this afternoon (12C max).
Looking in from abroad, I find it really sad how this relatively minor incident is being blown out of all proportion, thanks to the various media outlets (BBC Scotland, Scotsman, etc) keeping it up there as the main “sports” headline.
Not only does it attempt to paint us – once again – as being as bad as our “neighbour”, but it keeps the neighbour’s sordid business out of the limelight.
The knives are out: not only do we have to be much “better” than them on the park, but we have to be much “cleaner” than them off the park.
I clearly remember the day Jock Stein went into the Celtic support at Stirling Albion to remonstrate with those who had spent the entire first-half singing IRA songs and chants.
My father said at the time, “Those idiots sing about the IRA, but if you were to show one of them a gun or a bomb, they’d shit their pants and run a mile. They haven’t a clue what they are singing about.”
I think the same applies to those who sing IRA songs at Celtic games today.
hamiltontim says:
15 November, 2011 at 08:13
Morning!
How about SOB?
From that BBC nonsense
“However, Piara Powar, executive director of the FARE anti-racism network that has previously reported Rangers to Uefa, insists it is right to target sectarian chanting by both sides of the Old Firm.”
At no point does the FARE comments mention Celtic or ‘sectarian chanting’ yet again questionable BBC editing.
Paul McBride should shut the hell up as well.
Saltires @ 8.01
You ask us to “speak up or the bullies will think they are right.”
So if people disagree with your point, they are bullies but if you disagree with them, you are…..well what, exactly?
Anyone who came on this site and read posts like yours could not be criticised for concluding that Celtic Park is fillled with the sound of IRA singing and chanting. As a supporter of 40 years, I would have thought you would have believed the evidence of your own eyes and ears rather than the mouth of the media.
I share the view that IRA connected singing and chanting has no place at CP. I do NOT share the view that it occurs in the way the media,police,Establishment etc are suggesting.
JJ