I listened to the coverage of The Rangers first ever visit to Pittodrie on Sportsound on Saturday afternoon and was struck by two things.
Firstly; I could clearly hear vile sectarian singing almost from start to finish including 'The Billy Boys' with it's most offensive lyric. By all accounts the away section was awash with the body fluid of Irish Catholics and the Pontiff was being frequently sexually abused.
Such conduct, apart from being grossly offensive, is in breach of UEFA rules, in breach of the SFA's rules, against the rules of the SPFL and contrary to the criminal law. The old club inhabiting Ibrox came to be regularly sanctioned by UEFA for such conduct during European fixtures with the supine SFA and then SPL never taking any significant action.
Our supporters have been warned off relatively harmless and non malicious banter with our local rivals in the form of 'The Wheels On Your House' yet this disgraceful conduct on the part of a five year old club who's predecessors brought shame and financial pain to the whole of Scottish football not just for their bigotry but financial impropriety which may yet be established to be criminal seems to be turned a blind eye to.
Secondly; I note that the BBC have yet again been excluded from Ibrox presumably on the basis of yet another paranoid petulant huff. The BBC have a contract with the SPFL which provides valuable income to all clubs which, I suspect, stipulates the right to broadcast from all stadia and to pre and post match interviews with players and management. The Rangers are putting the organisation at risk of being in breach of that contract with the potential, if not for damages for breach of the current contract, for any future contract to be negotiated on reduced terms.
Rangers caused their own demise and, in the process, caused great harm to the reputation and finances of Scottish football by their conduct in their previous incarnation. Surely The Rangers can't be permitted special treatment to be allowed to do the same again.
Scottish football is potentially a great product and could and should enjoy a much higher and more positive profile furth of these shores but until the game is administered and regulated for the benefit of all rather than two large Glasgow clubs, one of which is in it's first season in the top tier, they will always drag us down. The latest manifestation of this bias is the scheduling and venues for the two League Cup Semi finals obliging Aberdeen fans to engage in a 300+ mile round trip for a lunch time kick off whereas Celtic and The Rangers get to play in their own back yard kicking off two hours later no doubt affording two hours additional drinking time to fuel the vitriol on both sides.
Time now for the other clubs to put aside petulant threats of boycotts and get together to put an end to the Weegie tail wagging the Scottish football dog.
I listened to the coverage of The Rangers first ever visit to Pittodrie on Sportsound on Saturday afternoon and was struck by two things.
Firstly; I could clearly hear vile sectarian singing almost from start to finish including 'The Billy Boys' with it's most offensive lyric. By all accounts the away section was awash with the body fluid of Irish Catholics and the Pontiff was being frequently sexually abused.
Such conduct, apart from being grossly offensive, is in breach of UEFA rules, in breach of the SFA's rules, against the rules of the SPFL and contrary to the criminal law. The old club inhabiting Ibrox came to be regularly sanctioned by UEFA for such conduct during European fixtures with the supine SFA and then SPL never taking any significant action.
Our supporters have been warned off relatively harmless and non malicious banter with our local rivals in the form of 'The Wheels On Your House' yet this disgraceful conduct on the part of a five year old club who's predecessors brought shame and financial pain to the whole of Scottish football not just for their bigotry but financial impropriety which may yet be established to be criminal seems to be turned a blind eye to.
Secondly; I note that the BBC have yet again been excluded from Ibrox presumably on the basis of yet another paranoid petulant huff. The BBC have a contract with the SPFL which provides valuable income to all clubs which, I suspect, stipulates the right to broadcast from all stadia and to pre and post match interviews with players and management. The Rangers are putting the organisation at risk of being in breach of that contract with the potential, if not for damages for breach of the current contract, for any future contract to be negotiated on reduced terms.
Rangers caused their own demise and, in the process, caused great harm to the reputation and finances of Scottish football by their conduct in their previous incarnation. Surely The Rangers can't be permitted special treatment to be allowed to do the same again.
Scottish football is potentially a great product and could and should enjoy a much higher and more positive profile furth of these shores but until the game is administered and regulated for the benefit of all rather than two large Glasgow clubs, one of which is in it's first season in the top tier, they will always drag us down. The latest manifestation of this bias is the scheduling and venues for the two League Cup Semi finals obliging Aberdeen fans to engage in a 300+ mile round trip for a lunch time kick off whereas Celtic and The Rangers get to play in their own back yard kicking off two hours later no doubt affording two hours additional drinking time to fuel the vitriol on both sides.
Time now for the other clubs to put aside petulant threats of boycotts and get together to put an end to the Weegie tail wagging the Scottish football dog.