ian1964 10,431 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 DAMNING VERDICT Celtic legend Didier Agathe claims Rangers rivalry led to death threats, forced him to move home NINE times and drive to training in an ARMOURED VAN The Frenchman also criticised the abuse he endured from Ibrox crowds, and gloated at Gers' demotion to the fourth tier By Steve Goodman 3rd January 2018, 9:48 am Updated: 3rd January 2018, 10:03 am DIDIER AGATHE has delivered a damning verdict on Old Firm rivalry – insisting it forced him to move home NINE TIMES in a year. In an astonishing interview, the Celtic legend claimed he received death threats from Rangers fans, and drove to training in an ARMOURED vehicle. Agathe also criticised the abuse he endured from Ibrox crowds, and gloated at Gers’ demotion to the fourth tier. And the former wing-back said he would have loved to play for Scotland, but feared prejudice from Light Blues followers. Agathe spent six seasons with Celtic following spells with Raith and Hibs. He won three SPL titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup before leaving for Aston Villa in 2006. Now retired, he has returned to his native Indian Ocean island Reunion. The 42-year-old spoke out as he previewed last Saturday’s showdown for a French magazine. Agathe said: “I have so many memories. The Old Firm rivalry forced me to move house nine times in just one season.“One time some Rangers guys smashed up my car, just because Celtic had won all the domestic trophies. “On another occasion people sent death threats to my home, so I used an armoured van to go in to training.“The atmosphere at the derby is indescribable. It always gets record TV audiences in Scotland, and it’s shown in the Middle East and the US as both teams have lots of fans worldwide. “The Old Firm derby is about everything besides football. When I see Lionel Messi saying Celtic Park has the best atmosphere he’s ever experienced I am not surprised. “Grandparents take their grandchildren along to a clash between Catholics and Protestants. You hear non-stop chanting about the Pope and the Virgin Mary – it is unhealthy and dripping with hate. “Rangers paid their players handsomely, and this cost them their demotion.“We achieved a domestic Treble against them, and beat them seven times in a row. We made our mark on the club’s history. “Players get caught up in what is at stake in the derby, and the entire week before the game is a brainstorming session.“Fans always tell the players they’d sooner lose to Juventus, Barcelona or any other team than Rangers. This is the one game you must win. “Both teams will have players who are mentally weak, and they will launch themselves into violent challenges if the game isn’t going their way.“Some people blow a fuse if they lose a game with so much riding on it.”“During my time with Celtic we used to play against the likes of the De Boer brothers and Mikel Arteta. Former Scotland boss Berti Vogts expressed interest in picking Agathe, who was eligible to become a UK citizen, in 2004. The Frenchman said: “I would have loved to play for Scotland. However I felt that, even if there was no racism involved, the fact I’d be the only black player could lead to things turning sour for me if the team did badly. “I would have been slaughtered. I expected a bad outcome, as I knew some people – especially Rangers fans – didn’t want to see me in a Scotland shirt. “Besides, it was a risk to burden my workload with international matches – bearing in mind I had played my entire career without cartilage in my knees. “I have another memory. I am Catholic, so saw it as a sign when I joined Celtic.“One year we were in the middle of Lent, with an Old Firm game set for the weekend. I was in a well-known Indian restaurant in Glasgow, where I ate a normal meal in accordance with my faith. “Two days later I drove to training. Hundreds of people were waiting for autographs, and a guy spoke to me saying he was a journalist. I told him I had to train and had been told not to speak to the media. “He was still there after training, and he later showed up outside my house. He said it was about the Indian restaurant, and asked why I went there, but I didn’t answer. “On the day of the derby the paper printed a headline about me, and a copy of a restaurant bill showing I’d supposedly ordered dozens of dishes. It was nonsense.“During the whole game the Ibrox crowd sang: ‘Agathe loves curry’ every time I touched the ball. It was insane!” SunSport Online has contacted Celtic for comment on Agathe’s shocking interview. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuGers 477 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Where do you even start with that? So many layers of absolute lies. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo79 13,735 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Has anyone else ever heard the "Agathe loves curry" song? I have never heard it once? The story is just usual Timmy mince. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Did Celtic have a bad result or something? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boabie 230 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I was always delighted when he played against us. He was a complete diddy. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Jeez. Where's this came from? He's been a forgotten man since he left Celtic. Has he got a book coming out or something? Armoured van ma ring. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewarty 1,877 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 And finally, the real reason for OBFA becomes clear. That curry song really was the final straw that forced the government to act! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,431 Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 Well the gutter press did do a story on Mark Walters!, they have to try and even things up!, even with lies! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuGers 477 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 The “curry song” really is the icing on the cake in that article. What is even offensive about liking curry!? I’m also interested to hear this song about the Virgin Mary, it must be a cracker. Did he just steal the car burning story from DaMarcus Beasley who actually had his car burned? The armoured van thing is just preposterous. It would be interesting to see if Agathe actually spouted these words. Or maybe he is in financial difficulty and was paid to say this absolute tripe by the Celtic PR machine. Again, Fake News. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuGers 477 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Well the gutter press did do a story on Mark Walters!, they have to try and even things up!, even with lies! Yes, but they managed to omit Celtic from the story as much as possible, even skewing the headlines to make it sound like he was abused by Rangers fans. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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