THE Celtic Support is this morning once again being accused of racism by the Rangers strikers Alfredo Morelos in a pitiful interview on Sky Sports which is reported in Scottish Sun and no count all the papers.
Morelos never takes responsibility for anything – it is always someone else’s fault an even when he hasn’t got anyone to blame – he can also make things up confident that he will be heard, believed by the gullible among his club’s support and their chums who write about sport in Scotland.
The facts are Morelos, with his side winning and with literally a few seconds of the match remaining, still attempted to cheat by throwing himself to the ground inside the penalty area to attempt to win a penalty kick, presumably to give him the chance of scoring his first ever goal against Celtic.
He was already on a yellow card so Kevin Clancy was perfectly correct in showing him a second yellow and sending him off.
As he walked off the park he made a throat slitting gesture towards the Celtic Supporters in the main stand.
A journalist from ITN later claimed that Morelos had been subjected to racist abuse and that he had seen a video that proved this claim. He was reluctant though to share the video but anyone who has watched it will quickly recognise that there is zero racist abuse on the video. There are one or two insults thrown at Morelos, one mentioned the colour of his tracksuit not his skin and the other the name that the Tommy’s had for their German enemy in the Trenches.
The Scottish Sun open up their coverage of the Morelos interview on Sky Sports by playing the video which allegedly contains the racist abuse but the bleep out the offensive remarks. Are we supposed to look at Morelos and and assume that these bleeped remarks are racist?
The Rangers reported this ‘racist abuse’ to Police Scotland who launched an investigation and as a result Celtic have remained quiet, telling The Celtic Star that the club “can’t say anything on recent allegations until investigations on complaints received are concluded, I totally get the frustration but we have complaints that need to be followed up,” those the words of Celtic’s SLO John Paul Taylor.
Morelos, it was later revealed received a THIRD yellow card from Kevin Clancy that afternoon, for his throat slitting gesture. The Scottish FA concocted some kind of charge sheet against the Rangers for various incidents in that game, when revealing the ‘Mikey Mouse territory’ third yellow card rule.
Predictably the Rangers released an indignant statement that was short and aggressive but finished off by saying that they would say more after the weekend. Strangely that additional statement the next week never happened.
Things went quiet in this, although Celtic fans were next being accused of tampering with the Colombian striker’s sports car, attempting to cut the breaks and by some of attempted murder. The Sunday Mail provided some answers to this yesterday in their exclusive. Mrs Morelos had apparently hired a Private Detective to see what her husband was getting up to, perhaps it’s ‘playing away from home’ territory – not relevant to this site really except when Celtic Supporters are being defamed.
The Private Eye also turned out to be an ex-army, Rangers supporter who apparently turned himself in to the Police and faces a Breach of the Peace charge for he alleged offences.
Weeks before all that happened a Celtic supporter on social media reacted to the throat slitting gesture by Morelos and the Head Shot gesture by the other Rangers goalscorer on 29 December, Ryan Kent by posting a threat on twitter directed at and in response to the on field provocative gestures from these two Rangers players.
The tweet was also reported to the Police by the Rangers and a man was arrested, charged, appeared in court, plead guilty and is awaiting sentencing. No doubt when that happened his lawyers will refer to the provocation from the two Rangers players at the match at Celtic Park as mitigating factors.
Without the unnecessary gestures from the Rangers players that threat is unlikely to have been made but it was, the guy has plead guilty and awaits the court’s decision (it may have already happened incidentally).
Over a month has passed since the allegation was made and we have heard nothing from Police Scotland – who were quick to act on the threat made on twitter – about the racist abuse allegedly suffered by Morelos at Celtic Park.
Now Morelos returns to the subject in his Sky Sports interview. “Yes I’ve felt racism both on and off the pitch.
“It’s very sad to feel that way but it’s not something that affects me much. I just try to focus on my job which is scoring goals and winning matches.
“Sometimes it’s frustrating when a crowd is throwing coins at me or throwing drinks at me, obviously saying racist things to me and making chants about my mother which is obviously very offensive.
“Those things affect my family and are frustrating but I am a strong person and I always believe things can be overcome with hard work. I just focus on my job and try to forget about these things.
He talked about his booking at Motherwell for making a rude gesture to the crowd at Fir Park before going on to talk about what happened at Celtic Park the next week.
“In the match against Celtic we were winning in extra-time. I fell down, whether that is simulation or not that’s up to the referee but afterwards it was very frustrating to hear elements of the crowd screaming at me saying offensive things and racist words. I wasn’t trying to instigate or incite anything else.
“I just wanted them to stop and it was sort of a symbol saying ‘come on guys the game’s over, this doesn’t need to continue during the match. I understand if you are criticising but now it’s over’. I’m not someone who wants to start a fight with anyone, I don’t have any problem with any fans, any race and any religion and so I hope to be treated that same way,” Morelos stated.
He then played the ‘family man’ card, this from a guy whose wife is being reported in the papers as hiring a Private Detective to check up him!
“I am trying to raise a family, I am someone who I consider to be very calm off the pitch and nothing anyone can write about me can change who I am.”
Morelos was suspended after his red card at Celtic Park. The Rangers were two points behind with a game in hand. After play resumed and without him contributing very much at all, through suspension and perhaps loss of focus (see car tampering, and Private Eye stuff), the Rangers still have their game in hand but are a Magnificent Seven points behind Celtic.
It’s not quite ‘Game Over’ territory yet but 9IAR in much closer this morning than it was at time up in the Glasgow Derby on 29 December.
Hopefully Celtic will update us on the Police investigation into the allegations made on 29 December and then issue a statement calling out these lies.
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