Club unfairly punishing the Green Brigade…
There were rumours doing the rounds during the week that the club had banned the Green Brigade from attending games. This rumour was of course since quashed, but it turns there was some substance to such talk.
But instead of a complete blanket ban it turns out that the club have temporarily suspended them from going to away fixtures pending an investigation that is underway relating to their behaviour at away games and specifically in Rotterdam and Motherwell. Apparently it’s due to the use of pyrotechnics and fan disorder including storming turnstile and attempting to force open a fire exit at Fir Park in order to admit their ticketless friends.
Call me a cynic but the club have been at loggerheads with the North Curve over the pro Palestine banners at the last home game a fortnight ago. Couldn’t this be their way of getting back at them? Celtic though insist that this ban is due to operational safety issues and nothing to do with the Palestine protest that is planned for Wednesday evening for the high profile match in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
Or is this a case of childishly firing at them from the comfort of the boardroom and most likely revelling in their temporary misery. If that’s the case then it’s bang out of order. It’s of course only a theory, but a more than believable one for many of the supporters affected.
Personally, I wouldn’t put it past them. Those who call the shots at the club are so out of touch with what our support stands for it can be embarrassing. Yes they’ve done a lot for us, but so have the Green Brigade and they don’t deserve to be wrongly punished ahead of the outcome of any investigation that is ongoing.
The incidents that the club referred that were reported by The Celtic Star Editor last night may well have happened but can the board be certain that the supporters responsible are from the Green Brigade. And if you are in the Green Brigade but weren’t at the Feyenoord or Motherwell games then you would have a fair point to argue that you are getting punished for offences caused by others at games you weren’t even at!
Banning them at this stage isn’t fair. It benefits no one and could leave Celtic in effect are saying that a specific group of fans are responsible for whatever actually happened at Motherwell. In Scots law there is a not proven verdict and a prosecution is only successful if it is proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Time for a rethink from those in charge before the relationship with the younger supporters turns even more sour. And, yes I do recognise that there are plenty of supporters out there who want the board to go even further and ban them once and for all from Celtic Park. But the one question I would have to those supporters is this – how does that benefit Celtic?
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Punish a whole group for the actions of some, if it was them. Board clearly getting back at them for the pro Palestine stuff. Announcing it in the sun paper too, shameful.
The Celtic board are correct to stop this before it gets worse ,the GB are very good at the set up and when do it right is brilliant but getting in other things that are going on on the outside world leave it alone don’t bring into the football ,because that’s all we are a football club .
Well said Ordinary Bhoy 👏 I am disgusted with our board. Petty small minded archaic money grabbing and not fit for purpose. So far out of touch with the principles of our club. Political from it’s birth and a voice and much needed assistance to the poor and oppressed. A club open to all….so long as you agree with the board’s opinions!! Don’t even get me started on the the scum sun “newspaper”….never before have I been considering giving up my ST or felt so ashamed of our club 😔
Right give it up then. It was a charity ,charity is not political. Yes it’s a club open to all,that includes me and I won’t have there childish and naive beliefs attached to me as a Celtic supporter . I can think for myself. The GB try to make us political but it’s schoolboy stuff. If they want to be political they can go join a political party. Where they will have to argue their case …and not from behind daft masks. Club will make their standing area seated again and eventually get rid of them. The club will be richer than before that’s for sure.
The notion that the Green Brigade benefits Celtic is deluded. The Green Brigade does not exist to cheer on Celtic; it exists to promote its own beliefs and values, and uses Celtic to that end, just as the Militant Tendency infiltrated the Labour Party in years gone by. The Celtic directors have indulged the Green Brigade, giving it chance after chance to improve its conduct, to no avail. The leopard doesn’t change its spots. Celtic and the supporters managed before the Green Brigade ever appeared on the scene, and we’ll all manage without this egregious mob. Bring on a permanent ban!
We can see what happened to the Labour party and U.K when they started expelling groups, yer country is in the toilet and has been going down it ever since. Diverse opinion brought the working class out of the mire and kept people in check. Now there’s only one party, uses a lot of names like labour, Conservative etc, but preaches the same right wing corporate doctrine. Homelessness, food banks, no health service, education system in collapse need I go on ? Once you start banning, eventually there is only one opinion left.
Totally irrelevant. If they want to protest they have other places to do it,the street,etc,etc. If they are protesting. inside Celtic Park they are attaching their beliefs to me.. I can think for myself thanks all the same. It’s true the club are starting to get scunnered with these wannabe freedom fighters who have only ever experienced a fight in their school playground.
Don’t think the board has gone far enough. They should be banned from Celtic Park. The bile that comes out of their collective mouths on a weekly basis is disgusting. And the flags, banners etc have no place in a football ground. Do any of them actually know anything about football? I have been going to Celtic Park since the mid 1950’s. These people certainly don’t speak for me
All that is correct,well said.
re the green brigade,what is their agenda?they seem to be very selective with their outrage re the war in the gaza area..what about the wars in yemen and in ukraine not a cheep ,you are doing a great diservice to the best club in the world..(very soon UEFA will close parts of the ground,or the whole ground in UEFA games.)the TAIL should not be wagging the DOG,,hail hail….
Their agenda is to make themselves as self important as possible, and, the club can’t say they haven’t helped them along that road. They are reaping what they sowed.They are starting to realise that now though.
Well done Thomas Davidson a bit of sense at last. Also to Tunnakeech for his comments. It’s great when the Green Brigade support the team, so please leave your politics at home. I support the Palestinians, but I support Celtic first.
Very Israeli style attack, indiscriminate punishment meted out with ridiculous timing. Is there anyone gullible enough to believe this is anything but more of the ruling class attack against Palestine and her supporters Celtic will get its Karma for how they treat the supporters and for their dirty politics.
You’re going here like a silly wee boy who has read one textbook about “ class” You think they don’t know who does what inside Celtic Park? They know who all these people are and no doubt have seen evidence as to who was responsible for doing what. You don’t get it ,you’re naive enough to think that because Celtic or the GB say something that is the stance of all of us on a particular subject. They don’t think for me that’s for sure.
I am not supporting G.B. Merely stating that you don’t have the right to tell people what they can protest about and where and when. The whole point of protest is to get as much coverage for your issues as possible, you know, in my silly little boy phase, the adage goes something like ” any publicity is good publicity. !”. So, silly big boy, take your conformist beliefs and stick them where the sun don’t shine. There will always be people with the courage to protest outwith the ruling class dictates. They have made street protests pointless, as they confine them, have continuously legislated and legislated again and again, to make them pointless. What do you suggest people do ? March to their and your puppetry ? I really don’t give a shit about the Green Brigade or the shit club you support, but I do care that coverage worldwide about Israeli atrocities are aired against a backdrop of a one world corporate, ruling class censorship. I believe it’s your country that the cops have shown up at 9am on a Saturday morning to tell a man that him displaying a Palestinian flag on his property has “offended” someone ? Pandering to bigots, just like they did when banning people crossing themselves as it was offensive to bigots. You are moving closer and closer to totalitarianism and ignoring it as it happens under your nose. How typically human !
Spot on Thomas Davidson, Tunnakeech and Eddie. Thank God for sensible and thoughtful comments.
The GB do not give a toss about any of us. Everyone is supposed to have the same opinion as them. It is clear that this is not the case. I would prefer their absence rather than their presence.
Unfortunately, our club and players have encouraged their behaviour and sense of importance by singling them out from the rest of the support when celebrating with trophies and at the end of games. So this is a kind of karma, if you like. This has to stop. No one and no individual or group in our support is more special than any others. I am sure Br Walfrid or Fergus the bunnet would not be pleased with their actions.
Right,the club definitely know who is bringing all these fines upon them . I would think the club have also seen evidence about the goings on in Fir Park. They know exactly who these people are despite the looney tunes masks. I hear they have the cheek to tell everyone to hold up a Palestinian flag. How naive and childish of them to believe that they are the voice of Celtic. They are not my voice that’s for sure and I won’t have their beliefs attached to me. There are plenty of streets in Scotland…go protest there.
Their behaviour in particular at European games and insistence on using dangerous pyrotechnics is tarnishing the reputation of Celtic. I agree that it probably isn’t all of them, but then they should self police and remove the troublemakers from their midst. Celtic had no other choice in this matter.