Knuckle crunching and Coronavirus

The simple handshake has a peculiar history on Planet Fitba.

Everyone knows that the universal sign of peace the start signifies that the sporting contest which is about to commence is not based on enmity.

When the hostilities are over it is a public dem9onsatrion that there are no hard feelings.

As a young Bhoy, I was taught that not all handshakes were equal.

Those of the funny variety signified that very little around me was based on equality.

Moreover, this simple gesture could explain the rather baffling amounts of officiating errors that seem to disadvantage the club that had been established by Irish immigrants.

John Grieg played for a club whose employment criteria was based on one key question above all others:

“What school did you go to son?”

Thankfully that club is now deceased.

Amazingly, the discriminatory employment policy that Rangers practiced actually lasted longer than the Soviet Union and the Cold War.

Even after the ban on Catholics was lifted Rangers retained a unique status in senior British football apropos Republic of Ireland internationals.

They simply didn’t have any from the signing of Maurice Johnston in 1989 until their demise in 2012.

This prevented the klan from the anguish of seeing one of their players proudly facing to the Tricolour as Amhrán na bhFiann rang out.

Of course, failing to shake the hand of an opponent after the match ends is generally seen as bad form.

Rangers have passed away, but those baffling officiating errors are still with us.

Ah well, perhaps the officials were unsighted that day at Hampden.

Oh wait…

Of course, a handshake at the end of it signifies no hard feelings to the officiating brethren.

However, a hand sanitiser might have been advisable for the lads in Hoops that day.

I certainly left the national stadium with a dirty feeling.

However, now we that are in an altered landscape with Coronavirus the humble handshake is seen as risky behaviour and the beautiful game is not exempt.

Clearly this is the best medical advice currently available although that seems to have been lost on the British prime Minister.

Now, if the humble handshake is now a health risk then I fail to see how a full-contact sport like association football can be allowed to continue during the current scare around Coronavirus.

If crowds are to be banned from watching football matches inside the stadium then the players themselves also have a right to be protected from this potentially deadly scourge.

I do wonder what the klan would do if they did not have the Sevco matchday experience to give voice to their hatred of the Fenian Xarnegos in their midst.