The Celtic Star reported on John Barnes’ ridiculous claims yesterday, as the former Celtic boss undermined the seriousness of genuine racist issues, by trying to attribute his failings in Glasgow to an unconscious bias due to his skin colour.

Those comments were responded to in depth. However, today, Barnes makes an even more delusional claim which undoes his entire argument. Just what his agenda seems to be is unclear, or perhaps he has a fetish for being the victim instead of actually helping people who suffer racism for real.

Firstly, here is an image of John Barnes being greeted by hundreds of Celtic fans at the front entrance to Celtic Park. There doesn’t appear to be any unconscious bias against him here. If we’re all racist, why did we turn up to support our black manager?

Celtic fans welcoming John Barnes in 1999. While agreeing with his point that there are far too few black managers in the game, his statements yesterday that his colour was a factor in Celtic dismissing him without giving him longer to prove himself is nonsense. pic.twitter.com/tIJF6d1czd

— Lisbon Lion (@tirnaog09) June 11, 2020

Barnes had stated that our unconscious bias, due to his skin colour, caused the Celtic support to turn on him quicker than white managers. That was addressed in yesterday’s article. However, today, a Celtic fan told him that this is untrue as he loved Efe Ambrose, who was less than excellent as a footballer, and he too is black. Therefore, he is not racist because he likes a black Celtic man, who didn’t do a good job. Barnes’ response is absolutely astonishing.

So why did u love him? And if he played for rangers would you love him? So u don’t love HIM you love the person who played for Celtic who happens to be Efe ambrose! https://t.co/g1DsxnKgwx

— John Barnes (@officialbarnesy) June 11, 2020

So what Barnes is saying here is that when Celtic fans didn’t rate him as a manager, it was about him as a person, because he was black. Yet, when Celtic fans like a black player, it’s not about him as a person, it’s just because he’s a Celtic player. I’m not even sure that warrants a response. It’s absolutely incredibly delusional thinking and twisting things to play the victim. Either we like and dislike footballers as footballers, or as people, you can’t choose which idea suits your false racist claims.

Barnes delved into greater delusion, by saying that our adoration of Henrik Larsson wouldn’t exist if he was a bad footballer and missed a penalty to hand Rangers the title. Well, that’s exactly the point! Our adoration or dislike of players and managers is based on football alone, not their skin colour. Barnes literally proves the point there!

Yes because Larson was a Celtic hero and legend. If he was crap for Celtic and missed a penalty against rangers to win rangers the title wud you have been happy for him to win the champs league with Barca.. ?? https://t.co/8NvmqiOxgr

— John Barnes (@officialbarnesy) June 11, 2020

And he would be hilighted and criticised more than the shit white players who will also get criticised I And I could mention blac players at other clubs who have experienced that but then I’d get a load frm THOSE fans who’d say OUR CLUB isn’t racially biased and we’d start again https://t.co/ofRVItnLam

— John Barnes (@officialbarnesy) June 11, 2020

When this was pointed out, Barnes went on to state that the black failure would be highlighted more than a white failure. This is complete and utter nonsense. Samaras was often the whipping boy and others such as Forrest divide opinion. They’re both white. Efe Ambrose was a failure as a player at Celtic, yet he was well liked. So that ends that nonsense, perhaps we must now conclude Celtic fans are anti-white because Samaras was criticised more than Ambrose.

To compound one’s losing of the plot, Barnes attempted to suggest that racism is against black managers rather than players. I thought racists disliked people of a certain race regardless, I didn’t know it was possible to like black players but hate black managers, just because they’re black. Barnsey you’ve lost the plot!

There is no argument that black PLAYERS are accepted in every club.. send me a list of black MANAGERS who have been at clubs for longer than 2 seasons… yes maybe Keith curle and 1 or 2 others… that’s equality right? https://t.co/d3v0UKINsA

— John Barnes (@officialbarnesy) June 11, 2020

On another note, Barnes seems to claim that this racism is a result of centuries of oppression and slavery. So unconsciously, without helping it, white Celtic fans and all white people have been conditioned to think as a racist. Very ignorant sterotype, ironically enough. Perhaps Barnes should look at the history of Ireland, the Glasgow Irish and Celtic Football Club. He would find that the Irish were made slaves, they were downtrodden as were the Glasgow Irish and thus Celtic Football Club was formed to support that impoverished community. However, we don’t claim every person is inherently anti-Irish or anti-Catholic.

John Barnes also cites sectarianism as an issue, suggesting we think differently of someone who is different to us, because we’ve been conditioned to do so. This comment is highly ignorant. It blindly follows the mantra that because those of Irish Catholic extraction face hatred and prejudice from some sections of Protestant people, we must hate Protestants. This is akin to saying that black people suffering from racism, must also be racist against white people when they protest against the way they’ve been treated.

Celtic Football Club has been inclusive since the beginning. I could reference the annual anti-discrimination tournaments the Green Brigade holds or the refugees welcome flags, the love Celtic hate racism merchandise etc. But instead, I think this quote from Willie Maley silences Barnes’ disgraceful remarks best: “We have always been a cosmopolitan club since our second year, and we have included in our list of players a Swede, a Jew and a Mohammedan. Much has been made in certain quarters about our religion, but for forty-eight years we have played a mixed team, and some of the greatest Celts we have had did not agree with us in our religious beliefs, although we have never at any time hidden what these are. Men of the type of McNair, Hay, Lyon, Buchan, Cringan, the Thomsons, or Paterson soon found out that broadmindedness which is the real stamp of the good Christian existed to its fullest at Celtic Park, where a man was judged by his football alone.”

If Barnes wishes to contest this by referring to Irish Rebel songs on the terraces, he is again found wanting. Not only do these songs contain no sectarian lyrics, but the ideology of Irish Republicanism was based on achieving an independent United Ireland. The Catholic population in the North of Ireland had basic civil rights denied and when the NICRA marches were attacked and people burnt out of their homes, the decision was made to use arms to defend the community and to achieve freedom. Whether one agrees with the tactics or the use of arms is a different matter, but it was not based on a hatred of Protestants or any religious matter. Just as black people standing up to racism, is not based on a hatred of white people.

So Barnes is highly stereotypical, ill informed and ignorant. Everything he accuses others of incidentally!

To conclude, it’s worth pointing out that our unconscious bias has led to the following three footballers being voted to lift the awards listed below:

Jeremie Frimpong – Young Player Of The Year

Odsonne Edouard – Player Of The Year

Olivier Ntcham – Goal Of The Season

All three are black. I hope Celtic take action against Barnes for his disgusting remarks and the damage he is doing to anti-racist campaigners around the world.