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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I think that we should continue to sing the Celtic songs with gusto but, we should all switch to the Lonesome Boatman routine with the ‘tricky’ songs!
Only saying like.
Hail! Hail!
Bamboo @ 10.31
You are very close to the truth with what you say but the singing of certain songs once re-established has grown legs of it’s own.
I agree with your basic point, the singing was reactionary.
The mentalist / loyalist element of the TFOD were getting away with it so we had to follow.
Unfortunately life is all about timing and we are now the ones under pressure.
All we need is the ghost of TH to become involved and we are watching a re-run of 1969/70.
bamboo says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:31
I agree totally but the LCF was really the last straw for a lot of Celtic supporters. To then hear MSP’s/MP’s rave about the great atmosphere was sickening. I don’t blame some Celtic supporters for singing the rebels again but when the singing of certain songs affects the team through points or the fans through a banning order they need to cease until the investigation has been completed.
I personally think the time has come to stop singing songs about the ‘RA at Paradise. Just my opinion.
I used to love a good rendition of TBOTOB against the Huns tho.
LB
I do wish that fans would drop this hun tax-case stuff!
Nothing will happen to the huns!
A lot of people need to realise that, The Huns ARE Scotland And, Scotland IS The Huns!
As long as the huns play in Scotland then, the establishment will ensure that the huns will go on!
Big Nan says:
15 November, 2011 at 09:17
Endless posts on who are our enemies, the semantics of the songs debate, meanwhile those who are against us fire at will, laughing at the debates we are having, they know we will do nothing.
Boycott of away games hurts financially, the thought process of funding over 20 grand a year for Eddie smiths ex colleagues will be brought into focus, and many of those clubs hurt by a Celtic boycott will soon be asking in the corridors of power at the SFA and SPL ask where are we going with this.
If no Celtic fans at ibroke will SKY be asking why fund this deal, empty stands lack of atmosphere at grounds does not make for good TV
Eddie Smith did indeed go behind our backs, well time to shame the Eddie Smiths of this world, lets have the evidence of what takes place in the stands of the family club or those at tynecastle especially when Celtic play at their grounds, our evidence made all the stronger if there are no Celtic fans in attendance.
Action or endless debate, Action or eloquent posts defending our traditions.
IMO we either fight back by all by every means at our disposal, the first and most important hit is to remove the Celtic pound from all our enemies,
I dont like the alternative of Jaw Jaw and endless posts which achieve nothing but laughter from our enemies
Talking about abuse, maybe someone now would be a good time for someone on our management staff to express concern about protection for our players by this week’s annointed MIB against ICT on Saturday.
Butcher’s not daft, and will have seen the signs being bandied out after Broon’s Aberdeen and the Motherwell Mullet’s 11 attacked our players, that we are fair game for a battering.
Good Morning to the Celtic Family from an overcast and damp Central Scotland. We Celtic supporters must be the only supporters in the U.K who spend hours discussing what songs we should sing and what songs we shouldnt.We also spend hours discussing our rivals and we know as much about there financial situation than our own.We spend hours discussing the new sectarian law that s going through the Scottish parliament at the moment.Bhoys what about Celtic ? we are fiddling while Rome burns 12 points behind the league leaders the manager appears to want to sign two players but the Board put a stop on it what on earth is going on at Celtic and why are we supporters not pressing the board for answers? instead we are discussing other I assume more important subjects like Songs and Rangers.H.H.
lionroars67 says:
15 November, 2011 at 06:48
‘Paul McBride the voice of Celtic’
Hardly.
Paul McBride, the Violet Elizabeth Bott of the Scottish Bar would be more accurate.
A couple of us on here reserved judgement and urged caution when he was being lauded by all and sundry in the Celtic support at the time he spoke out about the campaign against Neil Lennon.
He’s an authoritarian and he’s intolerant and contemptuous of those who refuse to kow tow to his views.
His performance on Radio Shortbread last night was appalling. An ignorant, factually incorrect, ungrammatical, near hysterical rant.
lionroars67 says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:39
……………………………………………………….
Totally Agree M8!
Hail! Hail!
mon you boys in green
KevJungle…. HMRC are not Scotland. They care not a jot about re peepil. This poisonous little country and it’s hun love in will not stop them. Watch this space
ernie lynch
You don’t fancy him much then?
ernie lynch says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:44
lionroars67 says:
15 November, 2011 at 06:48
‘Paul McBride the voice of Celtic’
Hardly.
It was sarcasm on my part
As for the rest of your post at last we are in agreement ernie
Beyond a joke now; we’re being reported for songs or chants which aren’t actually sectarian or illegal but the police have refused for decades to do anything about the actually illegal and sectarian chanting at the huns; indeed it was them who said they couldnt wade into “crowds of thousands” after being rightly criticized after this years league cup final when 30,000 huns sang perhaps the most sustained barrage of sectarian and racist abuse in recent memory; yet they have no problem wading into the Green Brigade to try lift some daft wee boy who chanted something they simply didnt like.
Its quite clearly a well orchestrated smear campaign, aimed at discrediting the FAC movement, not least because they have done it at the beginning of the week meaning maximum exposure; so angry that a media and police who spent years making excuses for the huns have already declared us guilty despite still not being able to actually name a chant or song they find offensive; is it because maybe its not actually illegal to hold what others might consider an ‘offensive’ viewpoint?
LiviBhoy says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:14
I try to avoid the songs debate,but totally agree with your take on the latest instalment.HH.
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire says:
Ignore me if you want but I am asking you as a mate not to end your posts with such a slogan. It does not credit you as an individual, nor does it reflect well on the support in general. Take a moment to think about that… please.
Agent Green says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:45
KevJungle…. HMRC are not Scotland. They care not a jot about re peepil. This poisonous little country and it’s hun love in will not stop them. Watch this space
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
The great leveller for me is that, we don’t have a board/absentee-landlord who will take advantage of the hun demise ?
I mean, we’ve been hearing this for 4 years now and, look who’s won most of the trophie’s ?
The likelihood for me is that, ‘our’ hierarchy will probably down-size further to give the huns a chance ?
Do you know what hurts me the most….WE pay the charlatans who’ve presided over a skint-huns 3 iar!
Cultsbhoy and sonofaderryman
Cheers for the feedback and anyone else who posted(not had time to look back)
Basically my boy is up gainst the Aberdeen select. Dont know if
I want to feed that back to our coaches.
!!Bada Bing!! says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:47
It does nothing more than divide us as a support. Deflection in the press at the moment is rife.
I can’t wait for us to be discussing the football again.
LB
i think uefa will rule that our songs are not offensive
this is deflection from the huns in positions of power
they will go under hopefully
KevJungle
What does Sone Aluko and two Indian players on trial say to you about their long term position?
When the most expensive team in the league goes, they’ll have an Aberdeen level team based on those guys.
Then there is the January sales to keep operating costs for the season and the 7million quid black hole Whyte talks about.
Their time of pain will be at hand soon enough.
Sheik Yerbouti hates the HUNS & loves THE BOYS OF THE OLD BRIGADE says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:53
i think uefa will rule that our songs are not offensive
this is deflection from the huns in positions of power
In 5 weeks time the SNP will pass this offensive offensive legislation
The police have set up units to enforce it and enforce they it will
This wont blow over and go away
KevJungle says – “We don’t care what the animals say…” says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:51
It’s a cyclical argument though. Had they behaved in a way that would have prevented them being in the position they are now in it’s highly probable that they would not have the trophy haul they got. At least as probable as buying a decent striker instead of Willo Flood would have guaranteed the league.
Whether people agree with the plan or not I think it’s good that we (the club) have decided that we have a plan and it’s not going to be based on reacting to or pre-empting Rangers. We don’t need them and the less we tie ourselves to their fate the better.
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:30
Imatim…,
beware of fork tongued devils
lawwell is SCUM
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
2010 Never Again
Canamalar
I know you are angry. You are not alone.
And I have no doubt you are a proud and passionate Celtic man. I also have no doubt you speak from the heart like all good Celtic men do.
So, respectfully, can I ask you as one good Celtic man to another….will you please refrain from using the word scum in reference to Peter Lawwell. You are better than that.
Hail Hail
I think that the 2 Indian players will settle in quickly
when they hear Delhi’s walls gettin’ belted oot:)
Gordon_J….Aye Ah wonder who’s fit for Saturday:)
TAL
Canamalar
nobody has battered Lawwell and Mc Bride more than me but I agree with TBB´s point
Please desist as less posters will read your valuable and pertinent points
Hail Hail
I walked into my office in Barcelona this morning and my French colleague asked whats all this about Celtic in trouble for singing about the IRA.
I am thoroughly looking forward to going to the NextGen game here on the 26th Nov. I was very proud we were included in this competition. I think our club´s excellent reputation in Europe is one of reasons we were invited.
Is singing about the IRA illegal? No.
If fans want to express their political views at a football match then I guess that is their prerogative.
Whats more important to the Celtic support freedom of speech or the club´s excellent reputation? I am not saying it is, that is another debate but if singing about the IRA was damaging the club´s reputation in Europe would you stop? Or is freedom of speech still more important?
When Neil Lennon (we all know his history and what he has been through) asks for an end to said singing is freedom of speech more important?
Do not get me wrong we are we absolutely being unfairly targeted by the powers at be. They are jumping at any opportunity on sully our name. Whereas they have pretty done everything to resist punishing ´them´ and to date only Uefa has! We are not in a fair fight, it never has been. We need to box clever!
BontyBhoy says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:12
I think you’ve got an important part of this very wrong. Personally, I don’t have time for RA songs.
But you think they’re the big issue. I don’t. The songs – whether or not they were sung at the Rennes game – are merely a pretext to do Celtic down.
This whole thing – Christine Grahame, Les Gray, Mr House, Kenny McAskill, Eddie Smith, Kenny Scott – is a fix. A ‘Get Celtic’ fix.
And if it all ends up in a nasty showdown between the police and the GB, cui bono?
It’s not so long ago that the police were pulling fans from the Celtic end once the Jungle was seated. This is going to occur again. My mate’s big brother and his mate were arrested and spent a weekend in the cells for bouncing up and down. I would warn the youngsters in the GB section. Do they want a charge for singing about terrorists? It could happen. It’s not good to have on your record. I think all singing should be aimed at the team and Irish songs that don’t glorify the ‘RA in the meantime until there is a clear mesage about what is OK to be sung.
From experience it is wise to do so.
LB
Our enemies open up another front in the war against the Celtics
The Scottish Premier League has confirmed it will investigate reports of pro-IRA chanting at Celtic’s recent home match against Hibs.
Operations director Iain Blair confirmed that police match commander Eddie Smith notified them following the match on October 29.
“Eddie mentioned there was pro-IRA chanting but we need to find out more about what happened,” Blair said.
“It was included in the report and is subject to an ongoing investigation.”
Celtic also face a Uefa hearing over alleged chanting against Rennes in their Europa League tie.
It has been reported that two arrests were made during the 0-0 draw against Hibs.
“I am currently gathering information about what happened during the match when the arrests were made,” Blair added.
“We also have to establish that Celtic, as I am sure they will have, co-operated fully with the police in the aftermath of this event.
“Our rules are not the same as Uefa’s and it’s important people recognise this.
“We have to be strong in our condemnation of pro-IRA chanting or sectarian chanting and we have to work together to eradicate it from our stadiums.”
One Scotland and all that…
Link is broken but you can check with the Courier archives.
This is how even-handed we are in Scotland:-
Sheriff Dunbar
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2007/03…ry9436810t0.asp
Abuse case fan walks free
By Lars Niven
A RANGERS fan who shouted sectarian abuse during a Scottish Cup tie with Dunfermline has been cleared of committing an offence because nobody was upset by his remark.
John Dryburgh from Glasgow, stood up and yelled “You Fenian bastard!” as his team trailed the Pars by two goals with just 30 minutes of the third round match gone.
Sheriff Ian Dunbar ruled he had not committed a breach of the peace because there was no evidence to suggest that anyone had been upset by what he said.
Dryburgh (27), of O’Neill Avenue, Bishopbriggs, who works as a postman, was sitting in the north-east stand at East End Park along with another 1300 Rangers supporters at the time.
Two security guards employed by Rock Steady event management reported Dryburgh to the police after they saw him stand up and shout the remark as well as the words “Black bastard!” He was pulled from the
crowd and taken to town’s police station where he was charged with committing a breach of the peace on January 7 of this year by making religious comments.
Dryburgh denied making the comments when he appeared at Dunfermline
Sheriff Court yesterday.
He stood trial before Sheriff Dunbar and maintained the only thing he shouted was “Baldie bastard!” at a linesman after his team were denied a penalty.
Gerrard Carstairs (50), from Dunfermline, was working as a supervisor for Rock Steady and was standing about five rows behind Dryburgh and his friend Stewart Cairns.
He told Depute Fiscal Joanna Nicholson, “I saw a male stand up, cup his hands round his mouth and shout, `You Fenian bastard!’
“It is usually a derogatory remark aimed at Catholics.
“It’s something that’s been over a number of years used by Rangers fans towards Celtic fans.”
He reported the matter to a police officer and was told to keep an eye on the accused.
Ten minutes later Dryburgh stood up and shouted, “Black bastard!”
Mr Carstairs spoke to the police again and Dryburgh and Mr Cairns were asked to leave the stand and subsequently arrested. The match ended with a 3-2 victory for Dunfermline.
Mr Cairns was released without charge.
Mr Carstairs insisted it was Dryburgh he had seen stand up and hurl the abuse.
“He drew attention to himself just by standing up,” he said.
His Rock Steady colleague, Linda Clark (40), from Govan, added, “I witnessed a male stand up and shout sectarian abuse, Fenian bastard.
“Shortly after that the words `black bastard’ were shouted by the same gentleman.
“I hadn’t taken my eyes off him from the first incident.”
Cross-examined by defence solicitor Lyndsey McCran Miss Clark said there was a sense of “animosity among the Rangers fans,” probably because they were losing.
She confirmed she had heard such remarks before and was not unduly concerned by what was said.
Dryburgh admitted he was upset because Rangers were losing and they had just been denied a penalty.
“The linesman was bald, so I shouted, `Baldie bastard!'”
He categorically denied using sectarian language, but admitted it still happened at football matches although not as much as it used to.
“The issue has been brought to the public’s attention,” he said.
His friend, Stewart Cairns (42), of Robroyston, Glasgow, added that he never heard the accused say anything sectarian or use the phrase “black bastard!”
Any shouting they did was directed at the linesman because he was having “rather a bad game.”
Sheriff Dunbar accepted the evidence of Mr Carstairs and Miss Clark that Dryburgh had shouted the abuse.
However, he said the test of whether Dryburgh had committed a breach of the peace had to be whether any reasonable person within the vicinity who heard the remarks was upset by them.
He added that while the remark “Fenian bastard!” may well be offensive, he had to consider the context in which it was used.
Dryburgh was sitting in a stand full of Rangers supporters and there was no evidence he had upset anyone.
“I do not accept an offence has been committed,” he said.
“But that does not mean that to use such words would not be an offence under a different set of circumstances.”
Dryburgh, a lifelong Rangers fan, walked free from the dock.
KevJungle says – “We don’t care what the animals say…” says:
15 November, 2011 at 10:51
I hate it when people say the Huns are skint. They aren’t skint. We are. They are massively in debt and still have most the ill gotten gains from their last splurge on the pitch.
I think McBride would have been shocked by the backlash against him for his support of Neil Lennon and Celtic .
He now knows what he is up against in Scotland and is back-pedalling and trying to get back in the establishments good-books.
Discard the views of the Rangers support on what we sing.
Discard the views of the Scottish sports media on what we sing.
Discard the views of QCs with a love of the spotlight on what we sing.
Discard the views of an unpopular CEO on what we sing.
Ask your non-Celtic-supporting friends, good ordinary decent people – whether they be Scottish, Irish, English, or Johnny Foreigner – what they think of the songs supporting the IRA (whether it be Old, Provisional, or Continuity) inside football grounds.
Think about this story being reported all round Europe and in England and consider whether it is likely to help or hinder our ambition to get out of the SPL.
No, the songs are not illegal (yet) and UEFA may well find that there is no case to answer. But, for the sake of Celtic, and how the Club are perceived in the eyes of ordinary decent people can we not take this opportunity to drop what little IRA baggage we still have?
Just because you no longer sing about something in a football ground doesn’t change who you are or what you believe in.
BontyBhoy @1012
Eloquently put my friend, and I agree with you 100%.
The majority of CELTIC fans are decent people, no doubt and I’d say without question that the majority of hun fans are likely pretty decent people too. However I strongly feel that our majority of decent folk is much higher a percentage than theirs because of the anti catholic crap. We support CELTIC a football team, not because we are anti any bloody thing, we simple support CELTIC. Across the Clyde however , a different culture entirely exists whereby if you are anti Catholic then you are more or less compelled to support them. Generalisation I know but I’m sure you get my drift.
I love CELTIC, and probably like most people on here, don’t give a toss about any other football club in the entire world— we have enough problem supoorting CELTIC , do we not?
I know I’ll get some flak for even hinting there are decent huns, but hey, I’m big enough and ugly enough to take it.
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
the fact is (that in this anti-catholic/irish country) that they are out to get us.
I think everybody agrees with that, 100% agreement!
However, we have to face the fact that an element of our fellow supporters, are (and I think this description is fair) are morons who just keep helping them out by giving them plenty of ammo to fire at our cub.
A couple of months of discrediting all things Celtic then
Rangers FC tax tribunal set to run to January
A tribunal dealing with an appeal by Rangers FC against a disputed tax bill and penalties totalling about £49m is set to continue into January.
The First Tier Tribunal in Edinburgh was expected to conclude on Wednesday. It has now been listed to take place on 16, 17 and 18 January 2012.
The disputed bill and penalties relates to Rangers’ use of Employee Benefit Trusts to pay employees.
The club faces the prospect of administration if it loses this case.
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) claims that £35m is owed by Rangers in unpaid tax with a further £14m due in interest and penalties.
HMRC has also had £2.8m of Rangers assets ring-fenced over a separate tax bill which the club is understood to be disputing.
I meant unfair fight by the way! doh!