Racist chanting from Celtic fans recorded at Scottish Cup Match at Stranraer

Highly disturbing footage has today emerged of Celtic supporters chanting racist and sectarian abuse during a Scottish Cup tie at Stranraer today. 



In the video obtained by us "Get The Brits Out Now" is clearly audible though the noise of firecrackers being thrown by Celtic supporters

Journalists at the match today which included BBC Scotland have so far failed to report these chants and other sectarian chants heard by disgusted Stranraer supporters and views at home.

David Scott from Nil By Mouth who has been vocal on sectarian chanting this week has yet to voice his opinion to this chanting.

It is our understanding that the footage has been passed to to Police Scotland via social media.

Offensive behaviour has featured in a number of UEFA delegate reports in recent years with Celtic being fined by European governing body.

In 1988 Celtic supporters subjected the first black player to play for Rangers to a torrent of racist abuse with bananas raining down in the direction of the Englishman from the Celtic supporters throughout the match.

That match in 1988 was held up as bananas were cleared from the Celtic Park pitch.

'SMV' bigots are Celtic fans - Herald Scotland

In the last month, the Green Brigade's love/hate relationship with Celtic's hierarchy has become one of just hate. One of its politically charged banners landed the club with another fine from European football's governing body last week, and its association with the damage at Motherwell's Fir Park stadium caused by setting off pyrotechnic flares and the breaking of seats is likely to see the club's place in the experiment of Friday night football pulled.

As a result, more than 120 of the Green Brigade's members and associates are suspended from Celtic Park, and its notorious Section 111 within the ground has been broken up.

In the popular imagination, they have had their status as Scottish football's bête noir confirmed, shifting from a noisy, colourful, provocative and politically confrontational group to essentially hooligans with a fondness for Irish Republican paramilitaries.

Police Scotland, determined to make the contentious Offensive Behaviour at Football Act work, and whose officers have had regular brushes with the Green Brigade, could not have wished for better headlines.

It all seems a long way from their pivotal role in making nights like last season's win over Barcelona among the best in living memory.

"Celtic have done what the police couldn't do and that's put the game beyond repair for us," one member of the Green Brigade told the Sunday Herald.

"Will it end the group? Well, it could go either way, limping on and people could then chuck it. The moment might have gone. Lots of things are mounting up. The harassment from the cops and Celtic takes its toll.

"But when we got this thing going we were underground. We were raw. But we lost that. We went from one end of the spectrum to being in Rod Stewart's book. The kids have ripped it up in the last weeks. I think we all have."

The Green Brigade has a core of around 80 members, a decision-making inner circle of around 30 and a wider associated circle in its section within Celtic Park of around 350 people. Its successful underground merchandising operation would give the impression of a much larger group, however.

Police Scotland admits the group are not "casuals". It has dismissed links with illegal groups in Northern Ireland, but expressed concern about the group's use of pyrotechnics, the "vulnerability" of younger members and breaching the Offensive Behaviour Act via songs the force sees as falling foul of the legislation.

Since the introduction of the legislation, many of the Green Brigade's members and associates have been arrested and brought to court for a breach of the act.

The Green Brigade was formed by no more than half a dozen members of a previous singing section, the Jungle Bhoys, who became disillusioned with that group around 2005 and wanted something more political which spoke to the Ultras scene of clubs such as Germany's St Pauli or Livorno in Italy.

Soon they were active at anti-racism and STUC events, but still numbered only around a dozen marching behind their own banners. But when Celtic gave over a section of its ground to the burgeoning group, numbers started to snowball.

"By the time it's 2010, the group gets Section 111 and we realise we've a movement on our hands.

"How do you get in? Well, you've got to turn up for games for starters. Then there's paint nights, helping out with banners, setting up before big games in the ground. It's almost like having another job and a lot of work goes into it away.

"To get in - it's almost like an interview with people who are in your wider company. The group's looking for people with different opinions, but on the three main topics."

But controversy was never far away. A Remembrance Day banner demanding "No bloodstained poppy on our Hoops" brought widespread condemnation, and a Uefa fine for "illicit chanting"
following the singing of songs referring to the IRA during the team's Europa League run in 2011 was met with the notorious "F**k Uefa" banner at a subsequent game.

But for all his condemnation, Celtic's chief executive, Peter Lawwell, kept the group on board, an acknowledgement of its input to the atmosphere at an otherwise moribund Celtic Park. Manager Neil Lennon also made a point of singling them out for praise when presented with the League trophy.

The Green Brigade member the Sunday Herald spoke to stands by their banners, including the ones linking IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands to William Wallace. However, several members of the Green Brigade have faced criminal action for singing the anthem Roll Of Honour, which commemorates the hunger strikes through the line "England you're a monster". They argue that Flower Of Scotland carries the same sentiment. He said: "The group was becoming part of the Celtic Park experience, part of the day trip; the section isn't as hardcore as many think.

"But the banners over the last few years haven't been about pushing the boat out and trying to annoy the club. Every single one of the banners had a deeply held belief and a point behind it.

"Like the Bobby Sands and William Wallace banner. A lot of people were scratching their heads. Even other Celtic fans were asking what this was about. But we knew. Anyone affected by the Offensive Behaviour Act knew. And if your audience is based around people getting arrested at the football, what better audience to make your point in front of?

"Forums and fanzines have had their day. It gets to the point where things build up a head of steam. The Offensive Behaviour Act came in and while people had reservations how it would affect them, it was not until it came in that we knew just how.

"And that's not just the group. It's those who were in our wider area and wider social circle. Away games is where the arrests are. Cops picking up easy targets, daft drunk kids who don't realise the consequences of their actions and whose lives can be ruined for singing a song with their mates.

"And we get the label we do because people in Scotland aren't willing, even now, to accept Irish Republican views as an acceptable political ideology. Back in the days of the Jungle, no-one was really picking up on this, but the last few years have thrown up a generation of tut-tutters who sang much much worse [songs] than we do now."

If the knock-out blow was the Motherwell game, then the Green Brigade admit they "took their eye off the ball". The emergence of a group of affiliated young Turks in the last year, the Style Mile Vandals (SMV) brought the edge of drunkenness and hooliganism to Celtic away fixtures. So who are the SMV?

"Well, they're kind of the naughty wee brother who got kind of carried away. They've been on the go about a year, are younger kids and into graffiti and stuff. These are the guys out late at night putting up stickers and spray painting.

"The Union Bears [Rangers' 'ultras'] have something similar. But there's a huge difference between the SMV and the Green Brigade, even if there's an overlap of a few members.

"The Green Brigade kind of don't want the notoriety as individuals; the SMV want to be the big boys. They see themselves as a group within a group and the Green Brigade are annoyed they've been pursuing their notoriety.

"My view? The recent pyro stuff hasn't just been the SMV and the kids around the group. It's easy enough to find online and it's also cheap enough to find online and it's also cheap enough for anyone to buy. However, a lot people need a bogeyman to blame."

EXCLUSIVE by James Hamilton

Sunday 15 December 2013

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/club-gave-us-enough-rope-to-hang-ourselves.22958708?page=7

Heart of Midlothian complain about Celtic supporters behaviour

Sunday past - November 30th - was, of course, St Andrew’s day - a day when we should all be proud to be Scots!  Unfortunately, I was certainly not overly proud of some of the behaviour I witnessed and heard about both during and after the game.

The match was a disappointing football spectacle for both sets of supporters. However, as football supporters, we know that things will not always go our way on the pitch; we know that players will make mistakes; we know that referees will make calls that we do not all agree with. That is football! It does not justify bad behavior - on or off the field. 

At Hearts, poor on-field behaviour is scrutinised, disciplined and, where appropriate, punished. The same approach must apply off the field.

The police report confirms that one Hearts supporter was arrested at the match for sectarian abuse. That is unacceptable and dangerous. In line with my previous statement of zero tolerance, that individual will not be allowed back into the stadium.

The same police report confirms that five Celtic supporters were arrested for sectarian abuse, coin throwing and disorderly behaviour. I hope that Celtic will take appropriate action against those individuals who let them down. Certainly, at Hearts, we will do everything in our power to ensure they are never again allowed into Tynecastle.

I was appalled at the vandalism carried out by our visiting supporters on Sunday.  Having recently spent significant sums to replace broken seats in the Roseburn Stand, for the benefit, primarily, of our away supporters, I was hugely disappointed to witness the destruction of close to 100 seats. Similarly, the graffiti on walls, tiles, doors - basically all types of surfaces - was quite disgraceful and this is not to mention the damage to toilets.

I have discussed all of these matters with members of the Celtic Executive and we are working co-operatively to address the issues.  No club should be on the receiving end of such unacceptable behaviour and no club should be put in the position of having to defend such behaviour.

The most distressing emails/reports I have received are of intimidation both to fans and to staff from away fans. Everyone gets frustrated when officials and police appear to take little or no action. 

This is something I will discuss with the authorities but as many of us know, their response is very often influenced by a need not to further inflame a situation. The only real answer is to try to remove those people who cause the problems and who spoil the whole experience for so many others.

I was pleased to learn that approximately 20% of the Hearts supporters on Sunday were youths. This is fantastic evidence that we are appealing to the family. The not so good news is that I have received a number of emails/letters from parents stating that their children were terrified/had to be removed part way through the game/were traumatised - and as such would be unlikely ever to want to return to a game. This is appalling.

http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/4010

Sick Celtic fans daub sectarian graffiti mocking dead football fans

Sick yobs daubed Tynecastle with graffiti mocking the memory of the Ibrox disaster dead.

The Sunday Post has obtained shocking photographs which show the carnage inside Hearts’ ground following last Sunday’s match, which was marred by ugly scenes.

The revelations come as a war of words rages between Hearts owner Ann Budge and Celtic over the fixture.

Our explosive images from inside the ground’s Roseburn stand – where Celtic fans watched the match – show toilets and doors daubed with sick tags including “66 dead huns”.

It is a direct reference mocking the number of fans who died in the 1971 Ibrox disaster.

Last night those who lost loved-ones in the tragedy, said the minority of “despicable” fans ought to be ashamed.

Craig Smith, 48, from Livingston, West Lothian, who lost his dad George in the tragedy, said: “It is despicable that people find the deaths of 66 football fans funny.

“Immature, uneducated idiots is really the only way to describe them. Each of those 66 have become a missing part of someone’s life since 1971.

“Those who wrote it should be ashamed and put themselves in the shoes of those who lost someone.”

The graffiti is believed to have been daubed on the walls by a gang known as the Style Mile Vandals (SMV).

A small faction of so called “ultras”, the SMV was formed in 2011, and is believed to have a membership overlap with the Green Brigade.

The Green Brigade has previously caused outrage with sectarian singing and controversial banners.

Last night Mark Dingwall, editor of Rangers fansite followfollow.com, said tarnishing Tynecastle with the Ibrox disaster slur marked a new low for Scottish football.

He said: “I am horrified anybody would mock the Ibrox disaster or any other tragedy connected with football.”

The ugly scenes at last week’s Scottish Cup tie, which Celtic won 4-0, sparked a fierce war of words between the rival clubs.

Hearts owner Ann Budge said she was “appalled” at the level of vandalism visited on the Edinburgh ground.

Celtic immediately hit back with its own list of accusations, claiming missiles had been thrown at Celtic supporters and sectarian abuse directed at staff and players.

Dave Scott, who is campaign manager at anti-sectarianism campaign group Nil by Mouth, said: “This graffiti is both moronic and deeply offensive and I’m sure all real football fans would be appalled.

A spokesman for Hearts refused to comment. A Celtic spokesman said: “These people are not Celtic supporters.”

BY BEN ROBINSON, Sunday Poste 7 DECEMBER 2014 9.12AM.

http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/scotland/outrage-over-ibrox-disaster-graffiti-1.724311

Seven Celtic fans face trial over support of the IRA at Celtic Park

Paul Duke, 37, Ross Gallagher, 29, Christopher Bateman, 28, David Gallacher, 22, Sean Cowden, 21, Kieran Duffy, 18 and Greg Robertson, 28, have all appeared in court charged with the offence.

The seven men are alleged to have behaved in a way that "is likely or would be likely to incite public disorder" by singing a song in support of the Irish Republic Army (IRA) at Celtic Park.

All pled not guilty when they appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court, represented by Paul Kavanagh and a trial was set for next June.

Duke and Gallagher, from East Kilbride, Bateman, from Irvine, Gallacher, from Glasgow, Cowden from Rutherglen and Duffy from Coatbridge, are accused of singing the song, the Roll of Honour, at the champions league qualifier match against Elfsporg match on July 31.

Gallagher, Bateman and Robertson, from Glasgow, are accused of singing the song on August 3, at the first game of the season against Ross County.

Robertson faces a further charge, with Gallacher, of singing at a home game on August 24, against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/u/green-brigade-members-to-stand-trial-over-ira-song.1387297439

Celtic bosses slam ‘embarrassing’ hooligans

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/5315541/Celtic-bosses-slam-embarrassing-Fir-Park-hooligans.html

RAGING Celtic chiefs last night branded yobs who went on a £10,000 wrecking spree an embarrassment to the club — as they red-carded more than 100 fans.

Hoops bosses took the hardline stance after being outraged by the thugs’ behaviour at Motherwell’s Fir Park on Friday night.

The vandals smashed seats, let off smoke bombs and scrawled IRA graffiti, as well as abuse aimed at chief exec Peter Lawwell.

And last night a spokesman for the club said: “Events such as these do not represent the Celtic support or the club. These events were an embarrassment to our football club and are absolutely indefensible.”

The Green

Brigade — who gather in section 111 of Celtic Park — insisted the fans involved were not their members.

But furious Parkhead chiefs have now banned 128 supporters from all of the club’s matches while they probe the mayhem.

Another 250 season ticket holders will be kicked out of the section used by the self-styled ultras.

A Celtic spokesman confirmed the club — who are footing the bill for the damage — had issued “precautionary suspensions against 128 individuals” following the shocking scenes at Fir Park.

He added: “These suspensions will cover matches at Celtic Park and away matches.

“In addition, the club will be relocating around 250 season book holders in Section 111 to other areas within the stadium, or offering refunds covering the remainder of the season to those who do not wish to be relocated.”

Celtic chiefs have launched their own probe into the vandalism and Police Scotland are also investigating.

Hoops bosses have already given the ultras — who claim to add atmosphere — one reprieve this year after reversing a decision to shut section 111 over complaints about safety breaches. A source said: “Celtic have identified individuals involved and those people face indefinite bans from attending games home and away.”

Officials from Celtic and Motherwell worked together before the game to ensure the ultras were given seats together in front of the stadium’s police control room.

But the plan failed when the fans moved into seats in the lower section of the South Stand, forcing other supporters to sit elsewhere.

A source added: “The club has been told of incidents involving good, honest supporters being effectively bullied out of the seats they should have been sitting in. It’s totally unacceptable.”

Last night Celtic fans flooded Twitter with posts about the club’s moves to smash the Green Brigade.

Peter Smith tweeted: “Glad the Green Brigade are gone. Been too long they’ve thought they were bigger than the club.”

Shaun Nicol wrote: “Always been a fan of the Green Brigade, but vandalising a ground after what Ajax did at our ground is embarrassing.”

And Thomas Gourlay also tweeted: “Take my hat off to Celtic in banning the Green Brigade. Never thought I’d see the day.”

But other supporters slammed the decision to crack down on the group.

Lewis McDonald wrote: “Can’t believe the Green Brigade are disbanded. Ridiculous decision from the board, maybe Lawwell is going to make the atmosphere himself.”

And Joe Donaghy tweeted: “Fully behind the Green Brigade, least they go and create an atmosphere, all this in-fighting over a few seats.”

The Green Brigade insists none of its members were involved in the shameful scenes, but admitted they happened in an “unofficial” area linked to their group.

In an earlier statement, they said: “We accept the fact these actions took place behind our banner in what was an unofficial ‘Green Brigade section’ and furthermore that the fans within this area are associated to our group whether they are members or not.”

Scottish league chief Neil Doncaster last night slammed the rogue element of the Celtic support. He said: “This type of behaviour has no place in the game.

“We are confident the police and both clubs will play a full part in helping to identify those involved in what were shameful scenes.”

In April, the Green Brigade took part in a demonstration as part of Fans Against Criminalisation — a protest over the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act. And they were blasted for unfurling banners comparing IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands to William Wallace at a Champions League match last month.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Violence in any form is unacceptable and we cannot allow a small minority to ruin games for the well-behaved majority.

“Our law enforcement agencies have a range of disposals available to deal with such individuals — including banning them from games for up to ten years. We have also established the National Football Policing Unit which was funded with an investment of £1.8million and has been deployed at over 300 games so far.”

Celtic fans putting "lives at risk"

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hugh-keevins-must-stop-rogue-2904421

YOU couldn’t give a section of Celtic’s support a red neck with a blow torch, never mind the green flare they threw on to the pitch at Fir Park.

There they were with their banner asking that Nelson Mandela, the ultimate man of peace, be allowed 
to rest in peace.

And then they got on with the wanton damage that saw seats destroyed while Motherwell boss Stuart McCall was subjected to chants about being a “sad Orange b*****d”.

Some people just have no sense of irony. The team the misguided had paid to watch is currently in the best form it has enjoyed for a long time.

But the football is never enough for those who have taken a weird turn since Rangers went into liquidation.

The obsession with insisting that Gers died – and the current side has a history 18 months old – has come with an arrogance that was unpleasant to watch at Motherwell.

Lennon said his heart sank when he saw the banners depicting William Wallace and Bobby Sands which disfigured the Champions League game with Milan.

Now the manager and his chief executive, Peter Lawwell, have to speak out against supporters who are blemishing the club’s reputation.

Celtic have just updated and republished the book detailing their history over the last 125 years – and it is a story well worth the telling.

A team started for charitable purposes has always had what their greatest captain Billy McNeill described as a fairytale aspect attached to it.

Celtic’s appearance in the Nou Camp on Wednesday night vouches for their decent standing in Europe.

And the derision their efforts receive from the rival support at Ibrox is an irrelevance since that is based on the need for something to camouflage their current, lower-league status.

It is as unthinking as the damage that’s being done to Celtic’s good name by the unruly element who will now make their club the object of the SPFL’s attention.

But all of that unwanted attention is meaningless to the vandals, flare throwers and obscene chanters.

If you can embarrass your club while the team is 5-0 up then you don’t do sober reflection.

And what’s even worse is that any attempt to draw attention to the supporters’ misbehaviour is always met with a hostility based on a belief that no such incidents ever happened, or could happen, where the Celtic support is concerned.

There are signs of old-fashioned hooliganism returning to Scottish football. A flare was thrown on to the pitch during Rangers’Scottish Cup tie at Falkirk causing damage to the artificial pitch.

Money is a constant source of concern at Ibrox, particularly when serious-minded men-in-the-know don't rule out the possibility of a second insolvency event.

So how regretful should the culprits feel when they see to it that a cheque for damages has to be forwarded from Ibrox to Falkirk?

The answer is they’ll probably feel no remorse whatsoever and they won’t until somebody does something to halt a growing menace.

The Old Firm game used to be a safety valve that was periodically released to take the steam out of a poisonous rivalry.

Now they live separate lives and the result has been the misfits have to release their troublesome instincts in another way.

Confession, they say, is good for the soul. The first thing the majority of decent Celtic fans have to admit 
is they don’t recognise the kind of person they can find beside them today.

I also got a close-up look at Motherwell’s incendiary division last weekend because they were fouling the air, and making a nuisance of themselves, in the vicinity of the press box at Hamilton’s ground.

They go through their dance routines then let off their toys, at which point several people emerge from the crowd to film their smoke-shrouded pals on their mobiles.

Older Well fans, meanwhile, were congregated well away from them and getting progressively more irked by their team’s performance.

They made displeasure known in the traditional, verbally-colourful manner then started to leave before Albion Rovers scored the winner.

But the dance troupe didn’t have any real sense of how badly their team had played due to the fact they didn’t appear to be that bothered by what happened on the pitch.

In the meantime they had caused damage to seats belonging to the club who hosted their game as a courtesy to both Lanarkshire neighbours.

That will cost Well money they shouldn’t have to pay at a time when every penny’s a prisoner.

Those supporters also threw another canister on to the pitch, forcing the people in wheelchairs to take evasive action.

You’d think supporters of a club whose manager was involved in a stadium disaster that claimed the lives of 56 people because of a fire would consider his feelings before setting light to canisters in a stand containing thousands of their fellow supporters. One of the most harrowing conversations I’ve ever had with McCall recounted his memories of that day in Bradford.

The hand-burning sensation he felt when he tried to open his car door two hours after the dead and the dying had been removed to hospital.

The search for his father that ended in a case of mistaken identity when Stuart was pointed in the direction of a man with first-degree burns.

He had only recovered from a deep sense of shock in the hospital ward when he heard his dad whisper: “Son, I’m over here.”

Now McCall is working in an environment where we’ve started to breed our own pyromaniacs.

It is an offence to enter, or attempt to enter, a football ground while in possession of a flare, smoke canister or firework.

Possession of either one carries a custodial sentence if the court believes that’s in order.

So why are so many being allowed to endanger health and safety on a regular basis?

That’s as much of a mystery as the suggestion that McCall has destroyed his own managerial reputation because his team had an off-day in a Scottish Cup tie.

Put that in your canister and smoke it.

SPFL Delegate: “The worst vandalism I have seen inside a football ground”

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/celtic-condemn-fir-park-vandalism-and-pyrotechnics-1-3224558

CELTIC have strongly condemned the behaviour of some of their supporters for the vandalism and pyrotechnics that marred the club’s 5-0 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park on Friday night.

In a statement issued yesterday the Parkhead club said: “Clearly we are appalled by the scenes from last night’s match and the actions of a small minority which have again tarnished the great reputation of the club and our supporters on a night when 
our team produced such a fantastic performance.

“We are currently investigating these events and will update our supporters early next week.”

Around 60 seats were broken in the away end at Fir Park and 18 smoke bombs, three fireworks and a flare were thrown. Alan Dick, the Scottish Professional Football League’s match delegate, described it as “the worst vandalism I have seen inside a football ground”, in his report.

The incidents could represent the tipping point for the Green Brigade. Pictures of broken seats emblazoned with stickers bearing the group’s name were posted on Twitter yesterday, as was a picture of one fan deliberately kicking at a seat and other snaps of supporters covering their mouths to shield them from the effects of smoke bombs. It was reported that some of the seats with Green Brigade stickers had IRA slogans scrawled on them. Another had “f*** Lawwell” written on it – a reference to Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell.

Celtic will be expected to foot the bill for the damage to seats under a reciprocal agreement between clubs but could also find themselves facing a Scottish Professional Football League investigation once the league studies its delegate’s report.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “During the course of the match, 18 smoke bombs, three fireworks, and one flare were set off.

“Significant damage was caused to seats within the ground and we are looking into this matter along with the club to establish the circumstances. There were no arrests made inside the ground.”

As well as being wanton vandalism and hooliganism, these acts seem deliberately designed to provoke confrontation. The Green Brigade have become a magnet for thugs who want to cloak themselves in the garb of “pyro Provos”. The reality is that these juvenile delinquents muddy the waters, using the Irish nationalist dimension as an excuse to get their kicks from anti-social behaviour that, to their glee, puts them on a collision course both with their football club and the authorities.

Celtic attempted to ride the tiger with the Green Brigade. Now it would appear they must seek to slay it. Yet the dilemma is that, if they do, they will give the members of that organisation precisely the martyrdom they seek. In their warped minds, a blanket ban would make them the footballing equivalent of the men they celebrate in their roll of honour paean to the IRA hunger strikers.

The conduct of the Celtic support has regressed markedly in the ten years since their behaviour earned awards from UEFA and FIFA. Some of the fan organisations have chosen to be in denial about that fact. Yet the evidence provided by incidents such as those that overshadowed the club’s trip to Dens Park on Boxing Day and their pre-season friendly in Brentford cannot be challenged. Celtic have a growing and serious problem with a sizeable element of their support. Followers of the club outside of that cabal are no longer willing to tolerate the actions of the serial troublemakers.

The Parkhead side are already facing sanctions from UEFA for a banner displayed during the Champions League match against AC Milan last month which compared William Wallace to Bobby Sands. UEFA, who forbid political statements at games, opened disciplinary proceedings against Celtic for an incident of “non-sporting nature”.

Celtic riot - Tom English: The damage done at Fir Park

http://www.scotsman.com/news/tom-english-the-damage-done-at-fir-park-1-3224571

Given that those earnest young men of the Green Brigade are so fond of issuing statements, it was somewhat curious that they didn’t reach into their bottomless pit of indignation and release a missive that made it clear that they had nothing to do with the damage done to the seats at Fir Park on Friday night or the flinging of the smoke bomb into the goalmouth occupied by their own man, Fraser Forster.

Many assume that the people who brought us the self-indulgent, self-pitying banners of recent weeks were also responsible for the vandalism and stupidity of the wrecked seats and the thrown smoke bomb. If that was an unfair assumption – and Twitter has been awash with such certainty – then you have would have expected a statement.

Maybe it’s on its way, although they might want to address the story of yesterday which claimed that IRA slogans were written on some of those broken seats beside stickers carrying the Green Brigade motif.

In their efforts to highlight their persecution by police, where exactly does smashing up seats and daubing terrorist wording on them fit into the gameplan? Their protest against the Offensive Behaviour at Football bill and their objection to the club’s criticising of the way they are going about it was captured in another message on another broken seat on Friday night. “F*** you Lawwell” it read. Such an eloquent contribution to the debate.

In their next statement, they might explain the contradiction in their long-held claims of unfair treatment by police. If they are persecuted, as they say they are, then there wasn’t much sign of it on Friday night as this group of neds was allowed to smash up seats without a single policeman stepping in to stop them. Where were the police when needed? The Green Brigade bleat on about heavy-handed treatment. A heavy hand would not have gone amiss on Friday night. At most grounds yesterday if a fan stood up for long enough he’d get an instruction from stewards or police to sit back down again – or else. These Celtic louts were not just allowed to stand but also boot and smash seats without any of their supposed persecutors saying a word.

Given the events at Celtic Park, the Falkirk Stadium, Fir Park and New Douglas Park in recent weeks you have to wonder if there is some kind of unofficial competition going on among the supporters of Celtic and Rangers – and also Motherwell after their own antics in the game against Albion Rovers last weekend – to discover the nation’s dimmest fan. Let’s think about this. The Green Brigade bring opprobrium on themselves for their banner in the Champions League game against AC Milan. At this point, in the wearying tit-for-tat between sections of the Old Firm support, some dullard in the Rangers end at Falkirk decides to bring the focus back on to his own club by throwing a flare that destroyed part of Falkirk’s plastic pitch, an act that his club had to apologise for, admit embarrassment over, and make amends for with a payment to cover the cost of repair.Not to be outdone, some Celtic fans seized the initiative in the search for Scotland’s thickest supporter when they disgraced themselves at Fir Park.

What was interesting was the level of disgust from Celtic fans over the behaviour of those vandals at Motherwell. There was a similar level of exasperation among Rangers supporters in the wake of the incident at Falkirk. On Twitter you will always find extremists who are prepared to defend any action by “one of their own” no matter how harmful the behaviour might have been to their club – deflection tactics are in the DNA of these people – but we also saw a body of fans rising up against the actions of their fellow supporters. The message seemed pretty clear. They were fed up to the back teeth of these small number of idiots causing grief for the majority.

Celtic, as a club, have been too indulgent of this Green Brigade mob, too quick to celebrate them and thank them and swell their ego and create the monster of self-absorption. They have pandered to them for too long. They have listened, like we have all listened, to songs about IRA men in that corner of Celtic Park for years and have done next to nothing. But, once a banner is raised – just a visual representation of what they have been singing about for the longest time – only then do the club speak out in shock and horror, as if that kind of thing wasn’t the norm from that section of the ground.

In the summer, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said he’d had enough and had decided to break up the Green Brigade. He then back-tracked. If he didn’t know it then, then he surely knows it now. These fans don’t deserve his faith. Quite frankly, his tolerance of the supporters who continually land the club in bother is an insult to the overwhelming majority of those who back the club to the hilt – the real fans. They are embarrassed and angry. In growing numbers they are calling for the disbandment of the Green Brigade before they mortify the club any further. By indulging the minority, Lawwell, pictured, is doing a disservice to the majority.

A section of the Celtic support now think they are above the club, that normal behaviour rules don’t apply to them because they are the mighty Green Brigade, protector of the match-day atmosphere at Celtic Park and defender of their Irish identity, which, in song and in their visual displays, they seem to see as beginning and ending with war – or terrorism. These bhoys should take a trip to Ireland sometime. They’ll find that there is just a little bit more to the place than singing songs about Bobby Sands. When displays of republicanism are the sole manifestation of your Irish heritage, as it seems to be with these fans, then it betrays a desperately grim and narrow view of what it is to be Irish. Quite frankly, if they weren’t so pathetic they’d be laughable.

You would hope that Celtic have truly had enough of them this time. The Green Brigade might make a lot of noise but the people that Lawwell should be listening to now are those respectful fans who want this garbage to stop.

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/motherwell-v-celtic-smoke-bombs-let-off-at-fir-park-1-3224112

CELTIC saw another exceptional display on the pitch last night soured by fresh controversy involving their supporters as damage was caused to a section of Fir Park.

Seats in the south stand, where the bulk of a 6000 travelling support were situated, were ripped out during Celtic’s crushing 5-0 win over Motherwell which stretched their lead at the top of the Premiership to five points.

SPFL match delegate Alan Dick and Celtic’s head of security Ronnie Hawthorn inspected the affected area after the match. A Motherwell spokesman

indicated that the matter would be dealt privately between the clubs. Smoke bombs and flares were also let off by fans in the same stand before and during the match. Celtic are currently subject to disciplinary proceedings from both the SPFL and Uefa for banners displayed by the Green Brigade section of their support at recent home matches.

Celtic fans direct sectarian abuse at Motherwell manager

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/bad-behaviour-in-the-stands-but-celtic-are-good-as-gold-on-the-pitch.22895889

The only cloud on their night was the behaviour of a section of their huge travelling support. A number of smoke bombs and flares were set off from behind the away end goal.

Before kick-off, and again after their opening goal, they discharged them in the stand and even threw a couple of smoke bombs on to the pitch. It was depressingly witless. Flares have been in the news all week on both sides of the border, especially after one was thrown from the Rangers end at Falkirk on Saturday. Some in the Celtic crowd could not resist dragging their own support into the controversy. Singing about Stuart McCall being a "sad orange b******" was also pretty brainless, and after the game it was clear a number of seats had been damaged in the away end too.

Celtic supporters riot at Motherwell

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/celtic-could-face-spfl-investigation-2900317

FANS damaged seats and threw smoke bombs at Fir Park last night as Celtic faced Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

SPFL delegate Alan Dick held lengthy discussions with police at the visitors’ end after the game.

A Motherwell spokesman said: “The matter will be dealt with privately between the clubs.”

But Celtic could now face an SPFL investigation on top of the UEFA probe into inappropriate banners displayed recently before their game with AC Milan

Stuart Cosgrove; Celtic racists chanted like monkeys and banged the jungle drums

Stuart Cosgrove’s 2002 book Hampden Babylon. Here is the passage from Cosgrove’s book (P128):

"Week after week, the young black winger [Mark Walters] was subjected to a barrage of racial abuse, as prejudice squads at Parkhead, Tynecastle and Fir Park threw bananas, chanted like monkeys and banged the jungle drums in a desperate bid to put the player off his stride."

Celtic face UEFA action over IRA banner shown during AC Milan match

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Celtic for the display of an "illicit banner" during the Champions League match with AC Milan on Tuesday night.

The governing body's Control and Disciplinary will deal with the case on December 11.

On the banner, unfurled before the match, images of William Wallace and Bobby Sands were shown alongside the message: "The terrorist or the dreamer? The savage or the brave? Depends whose vote you are trying to catch or whose face you are trying to save."

UEFA's disciplinary code says clubs may be subject to disciplinary measures if supporters are found to have used "gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature".

The governing body told STV: "Disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Celtic FC for an incident of non-sporting nature at their UEFA Champions League match with AC Milan."

Celtic were fined £4,221 earlier in the season by UEFA after fireworks were set off by supporters during their Champions League qualifier with Cliftonville.

The club's fans also caused them to be fined twice during their Europa League campaign in the 2011/12 season.

In March 2012, UEFA fined Celtic £21,000 after supporters displayed an offensive banner and set off flares during an away game with Udinese.

Celtic were also fined £13,000 for "illicit chanting" in the same competition during a match with Rennes.

Police Scotland are also investigating after a laser pointer was allegedly used on AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati during Tuesday's match.

Although UEFA rules allow for action to be taken on such a case, the governing body have not stated they will act.

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/250586-celtic-face-uefa-action-over-illicit-banner-shown-during-ac-milan-match/