If you are of the Hoops persuasion, then I do not need to remind you that the date today has a special significance.
Of course, I don’t.
The man who masterminded the victory in Lisbon is immortal.
He knew that, as a football manager, he was in the entertainment business.
His homegrown players from the bleak landscape of post-war industrial Scotland danced their way through matches as if they had been reared on the Copacabana.
Every Saturday at three it was the Rio Carnival on Kerrydale Street.
More importantly, I was there!
The dour thugs of Ibrox and on the level referees were easily brushed aside by Stein’s men.
I was nine in 1967, and there was no way that the adults who ruled my life would let me go to the Portuguese capital.
In fact, I wasn’t even allowed onto the bus from Baillieston to Shettleston unaccompanied!
I wailed at the injustice of it.
An uncle by marriage stepped in to apply much needed green and white balm to my wounded wee soul.
He promised me he would take my Celtic scarf to Lisbon and he would wear it at the match.
Four Four Two magazine did an anniversary piece in 2007, and there he was, complete with my scarf on the tarmac outside of their plane.
In 2006, on the 39th anniversary of that day in May, I somehow managed to get myself on a working trip to Lisboa.
I made sure that I finished early and jumped into a taxi in Rossio square suitably attired.
The amiable driver looked at the passenger wearing the Hoops and asked “Stadio Nacional?”
I smiled all day in the Lisbon sunshine.
In 2017 I joined thousands in the same stadium to mark the 50th anniversary of that remarkable achievement.
It is difficult to conceive of that joyous win over Internazionale Milano without having mental pictures of the Celtic support.
One of the organisers of the 2017 event gave a lecture at the dinner the night before.
One fact stuck in my head.
He said that the green and white exodus from Glasgow in 1967 had been the biggest ever civilian airlift in Europe to that date.
The man who masterminded the defeat of Catenaccio wisely observed that:
“Football is nothing without fans”.
One of the sanctions that UEFA has at their disposal is to have matches played behind closed doors.
Before they deploy that stark punishment, they often order the closure of part of the stadium.
Last season Sevco suffered this punishment twice as a result of the racism of the Ibrox klanbase during European matches.
Quite simply, fans are central to the drama that is being played out on the pitch.
I have experienced atmospherically packed stadiums where the connecting tissue of the fans deploy an almost kinetic energy onto the pitch.
Unfortunately, I have also been part of a control experiment.
On this auspicious date nine years ago, I sat in the media section of the AVIVA Stadium in Dublin.
It was the Carling Nations Cup and Wales were playing Scotland.
A crowd of 6,036 were in a stadium that can hold 51,700.
From my perch high up in the stand, I could hear Charlie Adam shouting to Kenny Miller for the ball!
It was eery.
The visiting Scots did their best to make a noise, but the size of the stadium was against them.
Two days later there were 529 souls to see Wales take on the Six Counties.
Yes, five hundred and twenty-nine.
One of the FAI staff told me that it was arguable if there were, in fact, more staff to run the game, stewards and police than paying punters.
It seemed darkly ironic that this echo fest was on May 25th.
I wrote at the time that the entire event reminded me of Stein’s wisdom about the centrality of the crowd at a football match.
Two days later, in the game between Wales and Northern Ireland, I took this picture from my work station in the media area.
For the avoidance of doubt, this was DURING the match.
Quite simply the entire stand was empty save for the guys in the press box and some stewards.
It did not seem like a match at all.
I could have been up at Malahide watching the Irish lads training, and there would have been more atmosphere.
When I think of this nine-years on, I am now forced to confront a dystopian future-football without fans at the game.
This is the world that Covid19 has created.
A senior GAA source told me recently that they didn’t envisage a packed Croke Park again this side of a vaccine.
This side of a vaccine…
Despite what some governments may state there is no guarantee that science will produce one at all.
The case of HIV is a case in point, and after decades of research, there is no sign of a vaccine.
Moreover, the only virus that has ever been wholly eradicated is smallpox.
Covid19 requires that footballers and anyone involved in the match will have to go through stringent testing protocols before a game can go ahead.
The costs incurred by clubs means that it was a nonstarter for almost all clubs in Scotland.
Of course, fans in the stadium are verboten.
Deutscher Fußball has re-started, and it doesn’t look right at all.
Social distancing goal celebrations just seem, well, ersatz.
There have been discussions on Planet Fitba about “sterile hubs” to play games.
The keyword is the first one.
Sterile football isn’t really football.
However, is this our new dystopian normal?
Social distancing and watching a match are an extraordinary juxtaposition indeed.
However, health and safety are non-negotiable.
Moreover, if it isn’t safe to queue for a pie on the concourse, then how is it any safer to jostle at a corner kick?
For the avoidance of doubt, the scarf made it back to Stadio Nacional half a century later.
There were thousands of us there and even with no match, it was craic.
The following day there was no social distancing in O’Gilins Irish Pub when this fella did his stuff.
For the day that’s in it, I miss football, and I miss being there.
Wherever you are, please stay safe.
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The feat accomplished by the Lions should never be underestimated as it later transpired according to one of the Inter players ( Mazzola) not only were they up against one of the toughest sides in European history but also that side had been drinking a performance enhancing brews regularly and on the lead up to the game.
Cheats never prosper they say…well outside Scotland anyway.
It’s a big sporting date in general. Our big day. Liverpool won their first EC ten years to the day later and had their big comeback against AC Milan on the same date. The then Cassius Clay put Sunny Liston on his arse in the first two years to the day before we won the cup with the big ears. Eighty Five years ago this very day Jesse Owens set SIX world records in 45 minutes.
However……1967!!!
I wasn’t alive for this momentous event, missed it by a year but I was brought up with it
A couple of years back I visited Lisbon a couple of months after my dad died and I dragged my poor wife up the hill to see the stadium.
She thought I was mad !!!.
When we got to the main gates I was blown away, what a beautiful place, I could feel the history, I could feel my history.
There were some people running round the track when I was looking in and I wondered how I could get in, it must be open.
I did a quick google and someone said, “go round the corner from the main entrance and you’ll find the security guard and he’ll let you in. “Aye, right” I though, but had nothing to lose so I dragged my wife round the corner and found the security office.
Now, the security fella spoke as much English as I spoke Portuguese so had to revert to a third language, that of Fitba. He smiled when I say Lisbon Lions and he said “Celtic”, “Escócia” then some other stuff then proceeded to show me personally the plaque across the way from his office. He’d been through this before.
I stood and read the plaque, I cried like a baby, my dad would have loved to have seen the pictures of me stood there, I knew he’d loved to have been stood next to me. I think my wife finally got it.
The security guard then waved me through a gate (IIRC) and said “Vai” and pointed, so not knowing what he meant we followed his direction and we wandered into the Estádio Nacional. We wandered round and climbed the stairs up to the top. There was the bit at the top where Billy McNeil lifted that famous trophy, but it was closed off. Then the cleaner saw us, she walked over, opened the door and said “Celtic?” and showed us in !!!! There was an inflatable trophy left on a pillar, hail hail to whichever Celtic fan left it there. I stop where McNeil stood holding the inflatable aloft, the cleaner even took a photo.
I cried a lot that day, I’m crying now as I type. This is what it means to be Celtic.
It was magic.I thanked the security guard on the way out, he had a smile from ear to ear. God knows how many he’s left in that gate.
If you ever get a chance to go to the stadium. GO, you will not regret it.
As for Lisbon, it is my favorite city now and do you know for why, not the stadium but for the people. To a man, they were friendly, happy and nice, they were like happy Glaswegians.
One other thing…it cost me exactly NOTHING to get into this place, god bless the security man and the cleaner, I will never forget them.
I was feeling that with you Billy,great to know that isn’t always about the cost,when good folk get thegither money is superfluous,handy,but not quite necessary.
And now the missus gets it too,first class.HH🍀
Thanks enti1969.
Similar story from me, Billy. I did my pilgrimage to the Estadio Nacional on 25th May in 2002 (35th anniversary). The main gates were open so we had the oportunity to take plenty of pics on the park itself.
Lisbon was the perfect setting for our greatest game ever !!
I well remember the day Celtic excelled and became European Champions. We were still at school and it was a school night. A Thursday 5.30 kick off. I lived in Kingsway Court, Glasgow. A highrise 19 floors high. Amazingly there were only about 8 families who lived in the flats who supported the best team ever. My greatest memory is shouting from 10 floors up, to my bedrangled pals who supported Rangers, that Celtic had won. You can imagine their response as they played headies at the garages below. Wonderful wonderful day.
Hi Phil I was in Lisbon in 2017, any news on the guys who drove in the Hillman Imp. I thought there was a DVD of their adventures, but haven’t heard about it since.
I have to disagree with Big Jock, in a literal sense anyway. I played football my whole life and the level I reached meant that THERE WERE NEVER ANY FANS THERE AT ALL and I still loved it. I think he meant professional football clubs are nothing without fans. And the clubs would do well to remember that. There I agree with him.
Cracking piece to commemorate thee day in Our Clubs history,speculation on how and in what format Fitba will return is unclear,however,that history is NOT.
Thanks Phil🇮🇪
It’s a leveller that that Celtic Squad should have won more than they did.
League cup finals the amount we lost was unbelievable. European ties yet so close yet so far.
In 68 they went out to the Russians, worse defence of a trophy ever. What should have been.
In 69 AC Milan went on to win it, we should have won that.
Then there was the years we failed The final v Feyenoord still haunts me yet.
Atletico Madrid kicked off the park. Inter Milan penalties.
The squad must have been the best in Europe never mind Scotland. After 67 we never kicked on. 50 years later. We get trounced in Europe and get put out by teams I’ve never heard of.
Yip I was lucky to see Celtic lift the big cup on the telly in Black and White.
That board could have made Celtic the most dominant force in Europe Football. But ran the club into the ground.
No future thinking just greed.
It’s going to take something pretty special, to see Celtic be a force in Europe again.
Sadly don’t see it in my lifetime now.
Will we see football with big attendances in the near future? Nope.
It may well be, when all is settled and done that we might see a UK league appear As clubs go to the wall.
HH Stay Safe
Actually John, if I’m not mistaken, Celtic in 1968 were the first defenders of the trophy not to receive a bye into the 2nd round, the draw was made but after Russia invaded Czechoslovakia, the original draw was scrapped and a new one was made which included Celtic. I’m pretty sure I’m right with this.
I was getting married that year ( we’re still married btw)….so the “Bottom Drawer” and “The Reception” took priority.
In other words…ah wisnae gettin’ tae Lisbon.
My Dad ( R.I.P ) was nearly 60 at the time and his best pal, Peter, had just been diagnosed with High Blood Pressure.
Peter’s Doctor told him that he didn’t think it wise for him to watch the game and suggested he go for a walk…or something.
Peter decided he would cut the grass on his large front lawn…but asked for the windows to be left open so he could stop occasionally and be updated on the game.
After 15 minutes or so he muttered….” Ah fuck this…if ah’m gonny die…then I’ll be watching Celtic when ah go.”
I’m pleased to report that he saw the rest of the game…and lived for another 15 years.
Hail hail
“Football is nothing without fans.”
Everybody would agree with that – and yes, it’s amply reinforced when watching a soulless, numbing, ‘closed door’ game on TV.
Except,
both the SFA and the SPFL, (and the clubs in general), have shown nothing but contempt for the paying fans – especially since 2011/12.
That contempt was further exhibited as recently as last Tuesday – with the cowardly SFA statement – released during the CFC celebrations – to state that there would be no CAS referral.
Hampden – and the clubs – simply don’t deserve the fans.
Post lockdown, and the lifting of all restrictions they just might find that it’s payback time – as some/many (?) fans will have drifted away from the game, never to return.
“Football deserves nothing from fans.” 🙁