In the matches in Austria and Czech Republic in recent weeks the Celtic players have performed wearing shirts that did not display the club’s main sponsor’s branding due to advertising restrictions in these countries. And as such restrictions edge closer to home, with the English Premier League looking at following a similar path a Celtic supporter on our sister forum Celtic Noise agrees below that Celtic should be looking at putting our own house in order by removing betting and alcohol brands from the Celtic kit.

It’s an awkward subject this one, as many Celtic fans will agree with these sentiments but also realise the harsh realities that our club operates in financially given the tiny levels of television income playing in the Scottish Premiership generates. Perhaps the English Premier League sides can afford this but it is unlikely that Scottish clubs can.

And in over 50 years watching Celtic these betting firms and booze brands have always been there, so you could even argue that you become so used to them that you hardly notice.

And any such ban coming just as the game recovers from the effects of the Covid shutdown season would be particularly hard to take by clubs trying to balance the books. But 26+6=1 makes a strong case for Celtic taking unilateral action on this issue. Would be very interested to hear your own thoughts, either via the comments section below or by dropping us an email to editor@thecelticstar.co.uk…

What we stand for or what we should stand for

Everyone is aware of the many footballer’s careers ruined and lives shortened by drink and/ or gambling. I don’t believe our club should be promoting either of these industries. With the Champions League money and our insurmountable dominance of Scottish Football the club doesn’t need to take money from sponsors which can’t be displayed in Europe where they have more progressive ideas around advertising unhealthy products.

Our sponsors aren’t bothered by lack of European exposure because they are focused on the Celtic fanbase. Their twin aim is to build brand loyalty within the fanbase and get global exposure via the fans themselves. As a Champions League side we should be sponsored by a non-controversial brand rather than having to hide our sponsors in shame. Ideally Celtic’s sponsor should be a company or organisations which has a positive impact on society.

This would probably not take in as much commercial revenue as the current sponsors but is it not money we would rather do without? Our football club should only be associated with healthy products but we advertise products that have ruined lives, families, careers and driven countless people to crime and suicide. Essentially it’s blood money.

Look at what greed and desperation vomited all over theRangers’ taps; bitcoin scams! They advertise the equivalent of Wobistics (Sopranos pump and dump scam), encouraging their own fans to invest in a ponzi scheme which might even suggest they were in on it. Would imagine there was some kind of special sign up deal with a voucher code identifying the blew pounds which would determine the size of their cut.

I would argue that the Celtic board allow unscrupulous companies to prey on our fans. How many fans have developed type 2 diabetes from brand loyalty to Magners? This is an uncomfortable comparison with the fraud emanating from Ibrox. It is not positive, healthy or progressive for our club to be promoting bookies and booze. We are nothing like the fraud in our values, traditions and unbroken history so we should have no business dealings resembling their unconscionable immorality.

Submitted by 26+6=1 – A well-known contributor on Celtic Noise.

Agree or disagree? Let’s hear your thoughts on this challenging topic?