In 2010 the Daily Record breathlessly gushed that Rangers had snared a billionaire.
The Ibrox klanbase were in raptures.
Actually, it was this guy.
Today they came up with another cracker.
The “alleged Rangers fan”.
Apparently, being on a Rangers supporters bus heading to a Rangers game and wearing a replica Rangers kit only gets you into the “alleged” category.
Here Enda Coll from @offtheball nails it with a clarity you won’t find on the Daily Radar.
One of the recurring themes of this site since 2008 has been how the local media implicitly wrote permission slips for the Ibrox klanbase.
It started for me with the chaps on the sports desks deploying the banter defence to excuse the Famine Song.
Even after that ditty was ruled to be racist by the High Court in Edinburgh in 2009, there wasn’t an apology by the Stenography Corps.
By this morning, the Kyogo story had made it to major titles in Asia, as can be seen from the featured image.
Like the Famine Song controversy in 2008, the local media were somewhat wrong-footed when it became a story outside Fair Caledonia.
This alleged Rangers chap had a rather interesting take on the entire incident.
Sevco has, finally, put out a short statement on the matter stating that their alleged fans had been banned.
“RANGERS can confirm that an investigation is now complete in regard to a video circulating on social media yesterday.
“The individuals involved have been identified and will be banned indefinitely from all Rangers games.
“Furthermore, the RSC of which they were members and travelled with to the game, have been banned from receiving tickets for future fixtures.”
It made no mention of racism so here is on they prepared earlier on the subject.
That would seem to be fairly unambiguous.
If racism is “unacceptable” to the Sevco High Command, then that must include anti-Irish racism.
Next Sunday, Celtic will travel to Ibrox for the first derby match of the season.
It is possible that Irish international midfielder James McCarthy may feature at some stage.
He last played in Fair Caledonia in 2008.
I interviewed him at New Douglas Park after a match against St Mirren when he received some ethnically specific barracking.
His country of choice seemed to be an issue for some of the visiting fans.
I know this as I was sitting amongst them.
Every time the teenager touched the ball, he was booed by the away support.
This site is fully searchable, and my reports from that time are here and free to view.
The next match at NDP, after the St Mirren match, the Accies were playing Rangers.
I know that the Lanarkshire club was outraged at the treatment the youngster received from the dignified ones.
Once more, young McCarthy’s cultural crime was that he had chosen the country of his heritage rather than the one of this birth.
Dear reader that is only a major offence in modern Scotland is if it involves Ireland.
It boils quintessentially British pish that McCarthy faced the Irish Tricolour and stood to attention for Amhrán na bhFiann.
That is not “sectarianism” that is racism 101, just like singalong on that bus to Dingwall.
The culture war against the Second Generation Irish experience has been a central part of the Ibrox worldview for over a century.
The nativist hostility towards the famine refugees would eventually find a home at Ibrox.
By the Edwardian period, the signing ban against Catholic players (a handy marker of Irishness in the pre-globalised football market) was in place, and everyone knew that.
2008 was the year that the Famine Song emerged from the Ibrox klanbase.
Now, in 2021 Glasgow finally has a fitting memorial to An Gorta Mór.
Just like Celtic FC itself, the Irish community came together to build it.
Celtic FC was entirely correct to swiftly condemn the racist abuse of their player as they have a duty of care to him.
In 2008 I noted how Aiden McGeady was not receiving appropriate protection and support from the Parkhead club as he received constant racist abuse while in the Hoops.
I hope that the new regime at Celtic has a different approach.
Certainly, Celtic’s new manager, as he described himself here as “an immigrant” gets it perfectly.
Anyone who looks at the disgusting treatment of Kyogo in isolation misses the point.
Racism, aimed at the multi-generational Irish community in Scotland, has been at the heart of the Ibrox experience for over a century.
Therefore, other racisms are implicitly authorised within that subculture.
Of course, the local media who imagines billionaires do not have the collective cognitive bandwidth to process that analysis, let alone write cogently about it.
However, their main deficit is much more damning on a human level.
They lack courage.
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The ship my father worked on was in dry dock in deepest darkest Ayrshire for some reason Ardrossan is in my head the year Clyde beat Celtic in a Scottish Cup final replay in the 50s . The crew got paid on Friday and they went for a few pints.When the barman heard the Irish accents he said we don’t serve your kind so most of them left. One bloke a Protestant from Dublin stayed and showed his Boys Brigade membership card . The barman asked him what he wanted he said he wanted nothing only to go for a drink with his mates and that he lived in a city where he could drink anywhere without being asked where he worshipped. They all ended up in Celtic pub and went to Hampden the next day. Has that mentality changed.
The hierarchical ghouls at Ibrox state this investigation is now ‘complete’. That sounds a bit premature. They’ll obviously need to liaise with Glasgow Constabulary, as Sevco themselves have identified these moronic ‘fans’. So, they’ll be required to assist Plod (who in truth don’t seem too enthusiastic about it)
I’ve read the sevco statement but I haven’t found the sevco apology. HH
Just a comment on Young James – Accies touted him to the Scotland hierarchy several times but they just weren’t interested (even while Liverpool were showing an interest). Scotland only offered a cap (and from memory a B cap at that) after Ireland had offered him a full cap, so it’s no wonder he went where he was wanted. Definitely one that got away from Scotland.
Had a look for that tweet….
@rfc_williame
This account doesn’t exist
A bigot, a moron and a coward perhaps.
Can you check that too Phil?
Maybe the Daily Record meant they were fans of the “alleged “ Rangers ?
I think Rangers have to be applauded for swift action on statement – lets see however if words effect actions next Sunday. I expect Kyogo will be the target of the boo crowd, not McCarthy.
There are racist idiots within all races – we just have to keep stamping on it.
Big Al
We’re into the 3rd decade of the 21st century and still we suffer racism from ‘fans’ at Ibrox. Gerrard seems to have some sense of morality and I’m just hoping he can influence these idiots before he inevitably heads back down south. But I doubt it. This will go on until it’s called out for what it is by the Scottish Govt. I don’t know why they don’t meet it head on, as I can’t envisage many independence votes amongst the Klan. Maybe Mhairi Black has more influence than we thought. The anti Irish racism will be febrile on Sunday, but will once again be ignored by the press, with the possible exception of some English journalists and our own Phil from Donegal.
I sincerely hope that there are enough Police Officers inside Ibrox next week on the perimeter of the pitch.
Should Celtic play to their best and rack up a commanding lead I fear there may be enough angry idiots who may decide to enter the field of play.
Regards racism – there’s 3 million people in Scotland who have anti Catholic ant Irish sentiment coursing through their veins – many display it overtly and others don’t even know they have it, but when push comes to shove they’d close Catholic schools and they would rather a Sevco victory than a Celtic one.
They’ve been given a free pass in this bigoted cesspit for so long many actually don’t even realise what they are doing is wrong for “they are the people”.
Most of the media are part of that demographic and all of them don’t want bullets and bombs in the post. Ergo – it will never EVER change.
The whataboutery is in full flow on BBC and Clyde tonight and rest assured one stupid idiot of a Celtic fan will duly oblige in order that they can “even things up” and the “one side is as bad as the other” mantra will be chanted to realign the equilibrium of the pro Sevco universe.
When Celtic launched Bhoys Against Bigotry we used to say that the previous club at Ibrox would be Bankrupt Without Bigotry. That still happened anyway, but, as Phil oft points out, their match day (and life) experience begins and ends in hating Catholics, without it they would be a pub league afterthought. It is their single driving force for existence.
God help them and their spawn and God help the rest of us who have to share oxygen with them.
The truth always outs itself in the end.
Just add some alcohol and a camera and hey presto there it is.
I hope wee Kyogo has both the fortitude and tenacity to go out there next weekend and send them packing to the exits long before the final whistle blows.
He has the ability no doubting that let’s hope he has the inner strength to silence them.
All 50,000 of them.
彼は一人で歩くことはありません
And a strong ref would help. mmm
Unsure as to which individual they refer too as there was a bus load with 4 or 5 on camera and the investigation should not be over until the police conclude.
The much talented KYOGOal has been here a few weeks and is geting the treatment, they must be scared of something. The wee guy has set the Celtic team alight and I hope he puts them to the sword on Sunday. Empty stands by half time.
On the field Kyogo needs protection he has had it rough past couple of games.
With the eyes of the world on the Klan on Sunday, ie it is definitely all their own fans, no ambiguity there, we shall see what verbal treatment the Parkhead team gets. See what’s on the songbook for the, ahem, ‘minority’.
I would not be surprised if the latest Klan offering does not go political.
It’s just not true that “that is only an offence in modern Scotland if it involves Ireland”. If a young guy at a Scottish club with English parents and a Scottish accent was a real prospect and you thought they were going to play for Scotland, but they chose England, they’d be boo-ed everywhere (maybe not Ibrox).
All 8 of my great grandparents were Irish in Scotland. I was brought up as a catholic Celtic supporter in Glasgow. Ireland were always my second International team. I was still gutted when McGeady and McCarthy chose Ireland. For some it’s anti-Irish racism, but for some of us we’re just Scotland fans.
They might get booed for a while but it would pass. It never passes at Ibrox, their hatred is permanent (unlike their clubs).
Has uefa been informed, they’re the only ones with the balls to do anything about it
It isn’t a UEFA matter.
Domestic game.
In any case, UEFA only responds to incidents inside a stadium or within ONE KM of the ground.
Did the wretched SRTRC (Scotland) not also describe racists follow-following them to Croatia as “alleged Rangers fans”?
Oh aye. As a follow up. Not always, but these people are as a general rule NOT the brightest lights on the Christmas tree.
There are just too many examples of this type of behaviors from rangers fans to dismiss it as a minority,from the young girl singing about how she would rather be a “ paki”, than a Tim,to this latest outrage,the very fact that they then post it on social media for all the world to see,that tells me they dont see anything wrong with what they’re doing,as you say Phil,they hear anti Irish sentiments at every single match day experience and it becomes the norm,for me,one of the saddest aspects of this is the ages of the guilty parties,these aren’t some older generation members,raised in a different era,these are young people,amongst whom,one would have hoped to see a broadening of horizons,and an acceptance of each and everyone’s identities but,tragically,that’s not the case,very sad indeed.
Keep in mind the households these youngsters grow up in. They are brain-washed from birth. As, probably, their parents and grandparents were. The guy who can come up with a way to break a cycle like that is a smarter man than me – many of my friends would say that’s most people.
If such a guy exists he has his work cut out. He’ll get no help from either the people in power, law enforcement agencies, or the Scottish media.
For every Ibrox club fan whose hammering the racist bus incident as unacceptable there are just as many ignoring the racism and just having a go at the morons who posted the pics on social media and therefore dragged the club into the mire.
At a similar age to Phil, I too remember “I’d rather be a darkie than a tim.” I also remember “I’d rather be a darkie than a hun.” We haven’t always been squeaky clean ourselves but I’d like to think we moved on whereas they’re still stuck in the 1960’s, or 1690’s. I agree with everyone that these clowns who abused Kyogo should be named and shamed but I find it sad that half a dozen idiots abusing a Japanese guy makes the national news and fifty thousand being up to their knees in fenian blood on Sunday won’t get a mention. These people are never going to change on their own. Instead of futile gestures like taking the knee why don’t all the Catholics and the black players who play for Rangers hand in a transfer request? Refuse to entertain them any longer. I’d go as far as to say that any Catholic who plays for them with the Billy Boys ringing in his ears ought to be ashamed of himself.
I agree that in the main the Celtic support have grown up and moved on in contrast to the Ibrox lot. Not perfect by any means but almost there.
I’ve seen a few posts from the blue side claiming it was just a bit of fun.
I totally agree, if you were 5 years old,but grown men making slit eye gestures and singing about losing their dogs to hungry Japanese in 2021 is just off the scale.
Would anyone be surprised if large elements of the home crowd on Sunday ignore the action taken by their board and imitate the behaviour of the brotherhood on the supporters bus?
Me neither!
With the match being beamed around the world it’s an ideal opportunity for a wider audience to be introduced to the Ibrox experience and make of it what they will.
I doubt that those firms who currently use Rangers as a vehicle for promoting their products will be over the moon to be associated with the club if indeed their fans go off message.