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BBC Scotland’s Tom English drags Celtic fans into Inquiry controversy

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With calls for an independent inquiry into the recent SPFL vote, alongside requesting suspensions of Chief executive Neil Doncaster and legal advisor Rod McKenzie, Donald Park and ‘the’ Rangers hierarchy are sending out some strong accusations without supplying any supporting evidence to back it up. Add to this the questioning the impartiality of Chairman Murdo MacLennan and things are turning a little sinister.

It seems ‘the’ Rangers are still using the SPFL as a smokescreen for their worsening financial position and it appears to be working. There are many in the media not only happy to run with this but also those trying to bring Celtic into the debate. The latest to do that being the BBC’s Tom English. Last night he had this to say regarding the Celtic support on Twitter:

“Why do so many Celtic fans on here oppose an independent review of the SPFL behaviour? Why would they not want it? Null and voiding of the league was never, ever gonna happen so what’s the fear here?”

Obviously having received no encouragement from Celtic who have kept a dignified silence throughout, English now appears to be targeting Celtic fans , creating a rather false narrative that Celtic fans don’t want to see an independent review of Neil Doncaster and the SPFL and all the while turning a blind eye to the real story.

Are Celtic fans opposed to an independent review or is English simply turning the debate to Celtic fans because the club won’t make their own thoughts available for public consumption?

With no actual football to talk about, a Civil war of the 42 clubs would fill in the time and column inches quite nicely. To play Celtic and fans of the Ibrox club off each other may also drag the story out further still.

I certainly don’t speak for Celtic fans but I know I don’t oppose an inquiry if there has been foul play rather than an administrative cock up. If anything I’d suggest to limit such an investigation to this proposal and the outcome of it would be far too narrow an investigation. If the inquiry had its remit extended to look at the standard and fairness of its governance since say 2012, it may be worth considering. Though I’m fairly sure our on board would still remain rather reserved when it came to joining the debate, our supporters on the other hand would welcome it.

I’d also be uncomfortable at the opening of such an investigation on accusations alone. An independent inquiry should only be considered when someone actually presents evidence. So far we’ve had a lot of hot air from the ‘Rangers’ boardroom and a lot of accusations made via the press with an absence of any real evidence.

We all know that vote was an embarrassing mess, yet it seems even though it was shambolic that it remained legal. If there is evidence out there of genuine bullying and coercion, rather than and SPFL board supporting its own proposal and lobbying for it, then let’s see the evidence of that wrongdoing. Otherwise it’s accusations only. You’d think the press would be pushing to see just that.

That said I wouldn’t hold your breath on getting anywhere even when evidence is presented. The SPFL are very much a Teflon organisation and more than capable of kicking contentious issues into the long grass even when presented with genuine evidence. Celtic fans have a little history when it comes to that.

And you can add the media to that approach too. Why such a clamour for an Independent review of the SPFL when in 2012 the Scottish Journalist fraternity chucked a deaf ear when it came to the concerns of Celtic supporters?

If you were looking at bullying, coercion and corruption it was far more blatant back in 2012 yet by and large ignored by the mainstream press.

Perhaps the real story here is being missed. Why are ‘the’ Rangers continuing with this attack on the SPFL, what do they have to gain?

If the answer to that question is very little – and here’s a clue, it is – then perhaps the trail journalists should be following is what ‘the’ Rangers are trying to deflect from with all of this in the first place.

Perhaps the big scoop would simply be to follow the money, or lack of it at Ibrox. Now there’s a story to fill the time when football is shut down. Something tells me journalists like Tom English already know that though.

Niall J

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As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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