In Joseph Heller’s satirical classic Catch 22 the Americans bomb their own airfield for the Germans because it is cheaper to do so, those getting bombed had no reason to feel bitter about it either as they were going to get bombed anyway. It wasn’t personal, it was just business.
That image from such a wonderful book came to mind yesterday when The Celtic Ticket Office managed to upset just about every household that has Celtic Supporters meeting the criteria for Scottish cup final tickets.
Now we get it that we are playing Hearts and that they are entitled to take 50% of the allocation. It’s possible but unlikely that some will be returned by the Jambos so if you never got. ticket yesterday then the prospects are looking particularly bleak.
Celtic have more demand than they have supply for a Cup match at Hampden against a side that can sell half the stadium. This is not unusual and the club have had to deal with exactly the same circumstances on many, many times over the years.
So what’s changed?
Just like in the bombing of that American airstrip in Italy, it comes down to one thing – money.
There are two competing factors – fairness and greed.
It started with fairness. Celtic introduced the Home Cup Ticket Scheme to encourage supporters to attend games against the likes of Brechin, Morton and Airdrie at Celtic Park and the pay-back from the club was that you’d be first in the queue should get to Hampden. That works.
But then money. The club figured out that they could sell the concept of ticking the box to join the Home Cup Ticket Scheme to supporters who won’t necessarily turn up to SUPPORT the team in these early cup games but would be happy to PAY for their ticket so that they’d be in the ballot for Hampden tickets.
So if you went to the Airdrie game thinking that you were on the road to Hampden with the team then this week Celtic have made it abundantly clear that this is NOT the case.
What was the attendance at the Airdrie game in January? Or the Morton game last March when those of us there saw Marvin Compper play when there was big piles of snow around Celtic Park dumped by the Beast from the East?
Does going to the game to SUPPORT Celtic just mean paying the ticket money to the club?
There were two group of supporters in the ballot this week – this who went to the games and were on the Home Cup Ticket Scheme and those who were on the scheme’ paid their money but decided against going along to support Celtic play and beat Airdrie.
The Home Ticket Scheme was originally a good idea when it was about FAIRNESS.
Now that it is about money it has become another LOTTERY, a RAFFLE, a BALLOT where the faithful through and through supporter has been down graded to join the pack of Celtic minded customers alongside the fair weathered, pick and choose glory hunters.
Here’s How Celtic described this in an email to supporters.
“Season Ticket holders on the Home Cup Ticket Scheme who attended the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final v Aberdeen on April 14, and whose payment was taken via the Home Cup Ticket Scheme for the earlier rounds v Airdrie (January 19) and St Johnstone (February 10).
Please note, we do not have enough tickets for all Season Ticket holders who meet this criteria and the ballot was taken on an individual basis.”
Note the words in bold.
Faithful Through and Through?
The attended – supported – followed the Hoops, cheered them on – drove them to victory – has been relegated by Celtic PLC to join the it’s cold, I cannot be arsed, the part time supporter who has bought his/her way into the ballot and taken seats from The Celtic Supporters who follow the team home and away every week, in good times and in bad.
Yesterday, for the sake of money, Celtic carpet-bombed her own supporters, but you shouldn’t get upset because it isn’t personal, it’s just business. I’m off to re-read Catch 22. Might have it finished by 25 May when I’m NOT at Hampden.
