Once more the task has fallen to UEFA to deal with the Discriminatory Chanting that seems to be the norm among a section of the Rangers support.http://www.scotzine.com/2011/04/uefa-charge-rangers-for-a-second-time-over-sectarian-singing/
The reaction of the MSM in Scotland has been to investigate the method by which the Ibrox club had been “shopped” to those interfering continentals.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/news/Sectarian-row-chief-married-to.6753118.jp
The implication is that is that Glasgow tribalism was at the root of this case and that somehow “UEFA had been got at”.
The stark reality is that there is prima facie evidence from numerous European games involving the Ibrox club. Their fans have indulged in Discriminatory Chanting in many of the club’s matches in Europe this season. Rangers were warned in November by UEFA and the club passed the import of that onto their fans. Still the chanting continued. After the away match against Sporting Lisbon the FARE organisation was tasked by UEFA to attend the two Eindhoven games to provide an expert opinion on whether or not there was Discriminatory Chanting from the Rangers supporters. As usual they didn’t disappoint.
The Rangers support were intent on looking for a culprit, but didn’t use a mirror.
Many thought that FARE had acted in a hostile manner towards “the Rangers.”
http://www.farenet.org/default.asp?intPageID=7
Paranoia is an evidence resistant condition.
The people to blame for these charges being laid at the door of Rangers are the club’s own supporters.
One wonders what UEFA would have thought of the Scottish soccer authorities and the Scottish government had they sat in Hampden Park during the recent cup final? A river of bile flowed from the blue half of the national stadium.
There was hardly a football song to be heard from them. Instead it was Fenian bastards and Fenian blood all the way.
Despite this there were damn few arrests and a statement of commendation not condemnation from the Justice Minister and the police afterwards.
This is a public stance at variance with the facts on the ground that one normally associates with North Korea.
The leaders of the Irish community wrote to the Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill and to SFA chief Stewart Regan.
These communications can be viewed on this site, but have not been deemed to be newsworthy by the MSM in Scotland.
Can you imagine if tens of thousands of football supporters at Hampden had been chanting bile and invective about the Prophet Mohammed would there have been the same statements about the fans playing their part in a great occasion?
Any written communication from the Islamic community to the authorities would have been splashed all over the front pages of the main titles in Scotland.
In a sense the good old boys on the Scottish sports desks DO have a point.
The UEFA guys DON’T get it. They simply do not understand why this anti-Catholic anti-Irish venom is tolerated in Scotland. Moreover they have no idea of the status of Rangers as the establishment club.
Indeed to attempt to explain the underlying social dynamic of modern Scotland complete with its Punch cartoon view of the Catholic Irish to an urbane, polyglot UEFA administrator is a major task.
However the good people of UEFA have got their head around the basics of the RFC songbook.
Instead of songs about the peerless Jim Baxter or the brilliant Paul Gascoigne or great victories on the field of play there is a constant output of hatred for Popes, Priests and the Irish.
Remember dear reader this is 2011.
Whatever the decision reached by the UEFA disciplinary body in two weeks one thing is certain.
Justice will be done and will be seen to be done.
UEFA’s response to the club about the origins of this disciplinary case makes that much very clear.
The bottom line is that Discriminatory Chanting will not be tolerated by supporters of any club playing in UEFA controlled competitions, even “the Rangers”.
The comparison between the attitude of Europe’s ruling soccer body and the domestic authorities in Scotland could not be starker.
