THIS column is about viewing Scottish football from the fans’ point of view. That’s why we always invite readers to give us their thoughts via email to kickersnational@gmail.com. Yet sometimes the fans themselves can cause a fair bit of puzzlement, and indeed annoyance, at some of their activities.
Take the frankly disgusting campaign by a very small minority of Rangers supporters to try to get BBC Scotland’s football reporter Chris McLaughlin sacked. McLaughlin was banned from Ibrox for the heinous crime of stating that a report would be going to the football authorities mentioning the singing of a sectarian song by a large number of fans.
The BBC stood by their previous response when McLaughlin was banned from Ibrox over his – frankly, rather mild – reporting of the financial scandal engulfing the club.The Beeb are boycotting Ibrox, and good for them. The anti-McLaughlin brigade were investigated by Police Scotland but no charges were brought. But for mere football fans to even think they could get someone sacked is quite nauseating.
On transfer deadline day, Celtic signed Colin Kazim-Richards from Feyenoord. The English-born Turkey international has a history, you might say, being the only professional player in British football to be convicted of a homophobic gesture on the pitch during his spell with Blackburn, the offence taking place during a match against his old club Brighton in 2013. Kazim-Richards was signed by Celtic despite being suspended by the Dutch club for threatening a journalist. Just to add some spice to the issue, his coach at Feyenoord, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, is a former Rangers hero and, in the Glaswegian conspiracy melting pot, some people think GvB has unloaded a problem on Celtic.
Former Celtic players and fans alike took to social media and blogs to protest about Celtic signing a homophobic player. Celtic should have nothing to do with him, was the general tenor.
The sporting press of Scotland did not shirk their duties and raised Kazim-Richards’ past misbehaviour with him at his first press conference at Celtic.
He did not deny his past indiscretions but said he would “just get on with my football.” He should be given the chance, yet before he has kicked a ball, some fans have decided he should not play for Celtic. Do they think Ronny Deila and chief executive Peter Lawwell, who actually signs the contracts, are unaware of Kazim-Richards’ past?
The case of Celtic’s new player and the BBC’s McLaughlin are entirely different, of course, but the underlying trend is the same – some fans are now so filled with their own self-importance they think they can get people sacked.
Fans of other clubs outside the Old Firm will say “same old arrogance” and they may have a point. But it happens at other Scottish clubs, and across football now there are way too many people who think that being a fan gives them the right to decide on people’s jobs.
It’s maybe time these lowly denizens of Planet Football gave us all a break.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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