Named & shamed

[ian1964 10,419]

It's a funny old world.

 

There's old Sepp Blooter being kicked from pillar to post for claiming racism in football can be sorted with a handshake at the final whistle.

 

But what's the difference between his attitude and that of the apologists who've spent decades saying the same about Scottish football and sectarianism?

 

For as long as I've been campaigning against this cancer, Celtic and Rangers people have shrugged that it'll never change, that it's just the way things are and, yes, at the end of the day it's all just banter.

 

You know, like everyone goes back to work on Monday morning and no one ever mentions it until the next Old Firm game.

 

Aye, right. And some of Enoch Powell's best friends were black.

 

Blooter is an out-of-touch idiot. No more so, though, than all those who've listened to bigoted bile all their lives but have said and done nothing about it.

 

Or at least, not until it becomes an easy target.

 

At Rangers, that was when UEFA started getting heavy and it was conveniently blamed on The Minority.

 

Now, at Celtic, the spectre of sectarianism also has a name.

 

The Green Brigade.

 

A deeply unpleasant bunch whose craving for attention makes them stick out like a big, poisoned sore thumb.

 

And who make it so much easier for the apologists to finally take a stand, especially when they can cover their a**es by writing that these people are an affront to the rest of the Celtic support.

 

But in the days when there was no Green Brigade, just a following commonly known as The Greatest Fans In The World, some Celtic punters still sang about the IRA and FTQ and the rest of the megamix.

 

Yet the same keyboard heroes who now want to change the world never said a dickybird.

 

Why? Because they make their living off following the Old Firm and wouldn't survive without them.

 

Now, though? What a great out The Green Brigade give them. Pin the whole sectarian thing on one corner of Parkhead while making sure everyone else in the stadium knows you love and respect them like family.

 

Same went for Rangers and The Minority, a tag that allowed pundits to pontificate the sweeping generalisation that "most decent Rangers fans will be outraged by their behaviour" and everyone would be happy, because no one had to face up to the less palatable truth.

 

Which is, as with Celtic right now, that the use of abusive and bigoted language at both clubs is so institutionalised as to almost become as natural as breathing in and out.

 

 

 

Let's leave the organised chanting and banner waving aside. And address the fact that not a game goes by at Parkhead without opposing fans, opposing players, referees, linesmen and the media being referred to as Orange B******s.

 

Just as not a game goes by at Ibrox without opposing fans, opposing players, referees, linesmen and the media (often the same people as were at Parkhead the previous week) being routinely referred to as Fenian B******s. Yet what do police and stewards do? Hee-haw.

 

They sling a deafy, because to wade in and haul out everyone who yelled something offensive, not to mention illegal, would mean all leave being cancelled in neighbouring constabularies while they wheeched offenders off to the cells.

 

Sadly, the same goes for 99 per cent of the media. Even if they're the ones being abused, how often do we read any mention of sectarianism in their copy? How often does a radio or TV commentator refer to clearly-audible bile in their coverage?

 

Come to think of it, how often have you sat there as a non-Old Firm fan and shaken your head as The Billy Boys or The Boys Of The Old Brigade strikes up and the guy on the mic tells you that "the fans are in great voice"?

 

No one's wanted to get involved. No one's wanted to put their head above the parapet and get it shot off by some deranged nutjob. So they've heard no evil and reported no evil.

 

And even now, when there's an identifiable enemy, the language from on high used to deal with them is still so wishy-washy it wouldn't frighten a three-year-old into eating their broccoli.

 

Cops "want to hold to talks" with The Green Brigade. Neil Lennon wants "to sit and sort things out" with them. B******s to that.

 

They know who these people are. They know where their seats are. They've got the CCTV and telly footage of them in action.

 

So if the police and Celtic are truly serious about about sorting them out, then just bloody well sort them out. Take their season tickets off them. Ban anyone who buys an away game ticket for them.

 

You don't negotiate with bullies and that's all this mob are, bullies who abuse and harass anyone who doesn't follow their agenda.

 

Ask the Strathclyde Police press officer whose family have been subjected to horrendous abuse since the story broke that Celtic were being investigated.

 

The Green Brigade and their Ibrox counterparts are two sides of the same coin. They are the flea-ridden tail that wags the dog. Just let's not kid ourselves that the dog couldn't use a right could fumigating.

 

I'm with those who say Blooter's position as head of FIFA is still untenable despite an apology for his complacency over racism.

 

Wonder when we'll hear the word sorry from those whose life-long attitude to sectarianism has been just as off-hand?

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/billleckiesports/3947514/At-last-we-turn-on-the-zealots.html#ixzz1eKcyE4gz

[GovanAllan 0]

So the Blue Order/Union Bears are the same as the Goon Brigade and we have the same problems as Celtic. Do any of these so called journalists do any research anymore.

[Guest Dutchy]

Myself, I don't worry too much about abuse from a crowd. I can show 'mock shock', just as they may do, but my main response would just to shout my version back at them. That is now being removed as an opition due to the OBB, and of course, handing that power to stewards and front-line policemen, whose reasons for finding something abusive could be in question.

 

The fact that all our leaders are more concerned with power, than actually improving the lot of the people is the main reason that this type of 'abuse' can be allowed to go on and indeed, turn into more physical incidents.

 

Far from being a fool, Blatter and his like know exactly where they are, and have every intention of remaining there.

 

There are so many rich people now living in gated communities that Blatter now lives in his own, metaphorical gated community of corruption and liars. It's a difficult thing to change when they all own the media, or have more to say in the eyes of the media.

 

I continually hear about useless, uninformed bloggers. I'm sure there's some, especially if I don't agree with their view lol, but it's very difficult to get people in power to change their habits that have been built up over many years. This is the main reason they're spending so much time attempting to control what folk have to say via the net.

[Super_Ally 0]

Come to think of it, how often have you sat there as a non-Old Firm fan and shaken your head as The Billy Boys or The Boys Of The Old Brigade strikes up and the guy on the mic tells you that "the fans are in great voice"?

 

Well there's been no Billy boys for a long time and certainly no commentators talking us up if it does escape out. Not read the rest of it, it's a self-justifying, bullshit cause to sell papers and give politicians something to talk about. Sectarianism just isn't really much of an issue in Scotland.

[Zappa 0]

Well there's been no Billy boys for a long time and certainly no commentators talking us up if it does escape out. Not read the rest of it, it's a self-justifying, bullshit cause to sell papers and give politicians something to talk about. Sectarianism just isn't really much of an issue in Scotland.

 

People pretending to be offended by people offended by something that offended someone who's great great granny got offended by.