Latest news with #ShowIsraeltheRedCard
Glasgow Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Scotland's ultras aren't working class heroes - they need to grow up
The members of Scotland's ultra groups clearly agree with that sentiment judging by the tone of the self-congratulatory 'Fairer Deal For Fans' joint statement which 14 of them posted at the same time on X (formerly Twitter) last Sunday evening. But it was another line from Lennon's polemic about the ordinary man and woman in the street being subjugated by 'the machine' which sprang to mind as I read a release which showed a quite staggering lack of self-awareness and no little arrogance. You're still f******* peasants as far as I can see. There was much in the missive which a supporters' collective that comprises The Green Brigade, Bhoys Celtic, Block E, Motherwell Bois, Block Seven, Cowshed Morton, Ultras City, Eastside City, Fair City Unity, Northbank, Section 1869 and Ultras Thistle put online which it was difficult to argue with. Read more: The hardcore elements which every one of this country's leading clubs have among their fanbases definitely 'generate atmospheres, create vibrant displays and help provide the drama and excitement that makes our game special'. The managers in the dugout and the players on the pitch do their bit on that front as well. Their fellow fans hardly sit on their hands and keep their mouths shut once a match kicks off too. Nevertheless, it is a valid point. Modern all-seated stadiums can be awful, antiseptic, soulless places. The young team bring, as Neil Lennon would say, the thunder. The gripe they voiced about ticket pricing will also have resonated with many punters. Top level football in Scotland is nowhere near as expensive as it is in England. Still, 'a huge financial burden' is indeed being put on those who attend home and away during a cost of living crisis. Owners, chief executives, chairmen and directors need to be cognisant of that. The mental health initiatives, foodbanks, community action groups and charity fundraising campaigns which are spearheaded by ultras are also laudable. (Image: SNS) As are some of their political stances. The Show Israel the Red Card demonstration which was staged by Celtic fans in the safe-standing section at Parkhead during their Champions League last 16 match against Bayern Munich in February has spread to clubs around the world and helped to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people in the Middle East in the wake of attacks United Nations officials have described as being 'consistent with genocide'. So what is the problem if they do so much good? If only it was so simple. For every commendable act they carry out it seems that a law is broken. The claim that the media has 'repeatedly misrepresented working-class fans, amplifying isolated incidents while ignoring the overwhelming positive impact of supporter culture' is erroneous in the extreme. It would be wrong to tar every ultras group with the same brush. I have no evidence of Block E, Cowshed Morton of Fair City Unity, for instance, causing their clubs or the authorities any significant headaches. But the charge sheet against their contemporaries is lengthy indeed. Their many misdemeanours are far from 'isolated incidents'. In the past few seasons there has been evidence of them forcing fire exits open, tailgating through turnstiles and causing overcrowding in stands, threatening and abusing stewards, posting photographs of police officers online and putting their personal wellbeing at risk, displaying racist and offensive banners, firing rockets above the heads of players on the park, bullying fans out of their allocated seats, singing sectarian songs, celebrating the massacre of innocent civilians, assaulting supporters in the street, throwing missiles, invoking fines and reduced ticket allocations and scarring children for life with discarded flares. Read more: Their widespread and illegal use of pyrotechnics has led to games being delayed and even postponed and caused no end of distress to the disabled, to those who suffer from asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and epilepsy as well as the many good folk who simply want to go to the fitba without being engulfed by toxic fumes. There was widespread outrage about the kettling of The Green Brigade on London Road before Celtic's league match against Rangers at Parkhead back in March and it is only right that incident that is investigated to ensure proper protocols were followed and human rights respected. But one thing was conveniently overlooked amid the outcry. Police were only given Section 60 powers because of the unrest which broke out in Glasgow city centre before the Premier Sports Cup final in December when dozens, hundreds even, of ultras were involved in running battles along Argyle Street. The videos which were posted on social media websites of frightened Christmas shoppers screaming in terror as they huddled in doorways for safety and burning flares were hurled about indiscriminately around them and heavily outnumbered police officers desperately battered troublemakers with batons beggared belief. What would have happened if one of those lit devices had landed in a pensioner's hood? Or a baby's pram? (Image: SNS) The statement on Sunday bemoaned 'heavy-handed policing and authoritarian stewarding' leading to 'ordinary fans being treated as cattle or criminals'. Well, if you commit crimes that is generally what happens guys. It was beyond ironic that, just days after they had lamented the unfair persecution they are regularly subjected to, the North Curve Celtic X feed this week invited fans to attend a 'Trongate Title Party' this afternoon. Glasgow City Council have warned supporters not to attend gatherings which have caused significant disorder in recent years and 'robbed the public purse of hundreds of thousands of pounds'. Police have echoed those sentiments. There have been serious injuries and multiple arrests in the past. Ultras have a huge amount to offer Scottish football. Our game would be badly diminished without them. But they need to realise their myriad misdeeds will not be ignored and endeavour to channel their energies in a constructive manner going forward. If they don't, their voices will never be heard. At the moment, far too many of them are, as Lennon lamented on Working Class Hero, 'f****** peasants'.
Daily Record
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Green Brigade defy 'out of touch' Celtic board over tifo ban as ultras unleash on ticket price hike
The fan group have been at odds with the club powerbrokers in recent months The Green Brigade have taken aim at Celtic chiefs as the ultras group branded them "out of touch" during the clash with Hibs. The fan group have been at odds with the board since unveiling a 'Show Israel the Red Card' display during the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich. They followed up by a produced a controversial tribute to convicted IRA killer Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane before a match against Aberdeen. Since then, the club have taken the step to approve any tifos unveiled by the ultras group. Going into the clash with Hibs the Green Brigade have revealed that an attempt to display a banner has been knocked back by the Premiership champions' powerbrokers. But they would defy the supremos - as they took aim at season ticket prices with a massive banner. Adult season ticket prices for next season are priced at £608 - with a rise of between five per cent and eight per cent across the board for the Parkhead diehards. The banner read: "Fairer deal for fans - Celtic PLC: Always out of touch, never out of pocket.' In a statement released on Friday night, the Green Brigade said: "Unfortunately, the club has refused tomorrow's NCC tifo. "This is a continued sanction due to the Green Brigade's 'Red Card' and Bik McFarlane tifos. "Despite repeated attempts, the club has refused to meet with the Green Brigade since November 2023." UEFA did not take action against the Hoops for the banner displayed while on European duty while the tribute to McFarlane sparked a police probe. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Green Brigade call out Celtic board for hardline Hibs tifo stance as 2 reasons issued for ultras roadblock
The fan group have vented online after their banner for the clash with David Gray's men was turned down The Green Brigade have claimed Celtic chiefs have "refused" meetings with them as the club upheld a ban on tifos from the ultras. The fan group made headlines earlier this season with a 'Show Israel the Red Card' display during the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich. They also produced a controversial tribute to convicted IRA killer Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane before a match against Aberdeen. And going into the clash with Hibs on Saturday, they have revealed that an attempt to display a banner has been knocked back by the Premiership champions' powerbrokers. The group posted to X "Unfortunately, the club has refused tomorrow's NCC tifo. "This is a continued sanction due to the Green Brigade's 'Red Card' and Bik McFarlane tifos. "Despite repeated attempts, the club has refused to meet with the Green Brigade since November 2023." A Celtic email shared by the group read: "Unfortunately, following the club's review of events and relevant processes from earlier this season, which has concluded that there have been serious breaches of the Banner Protocol by the group, the club does not approve the request to set up and display a tifo at tomorrow's match. "The club therefore requests that the group does not bring any tifo or other banners to the stadium for the match, as access will not be provided at any time prior to or during the match. "The club also requests that the group complies with club regulations and protocols, and safety and competition regulations, at the match, including the prohibition on the use of any pyrotechnics. "The club remains open to scheduling a meeting to discuss these matters at a future time." UEFA did not take action against the Hoops for the banner displayed while on European duty while the tribute to McFarlane sparked a police probe. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Antisemitism watchdog calls on Trump's World Cup task force, FIFA to put stop to anti-Israel soccer campaign
Stop Antisemitism founder Liora Rez called on FIFA and the White House's FIFA World Cup 2026 Task Force to put a stop to the "Show Israel the Red Card" campaign ahead of the global soccer tournament. The campaign began in February at a UEFA Champions League match in Scotland. Celtic FC fans unfurled a banner that called on FIFA and UEFA, the confederation that Israel is a part of, to punish the country's national team over its response in Gaza to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. There was no penalty against Celtic FC or its fans for the banner. Since then, CBC reported that the campaign has spread across other European countries, including Italy, Spain and Belgium, along with Brazil, Chile, Malaysia and Tunisia. Rez said FIFA has done nothing to combat the issue. "We've seen absolutely nothing, which is so alarming," she told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "We've seen the head of FIFA say and do, again, absolutely nothing. We've seen none of the fans be penalized or removed from the games holding up these signs. So again, we want the task force that President Trump set up to step in ahead of time and be proactive and say, no, this isn't welcome in the United States. This isn't gonna fly here." Rez added that FIFA President Gianni Infantino should take a "strong stand" against the campaign. "I think it has to be eradicated immediately," she said. "Gianni Infantino needs to take a strong stand and say, 'Bigotry and bias against the world's only Jewish country is not welcome in any type of organization I'm heading.' He has yet to do that. "And because he hasn't, we're calling on President Trump's task force to step in and demand that this kind of, again, bias and isolation and vilification of Israel is just not welcome in the United States. Americans aren't going to stand for it." Fox News Digital reached out to FIFA and UEFA for comment. President Donald Trump tapped Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as the executive director of the task force. In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing the task force for the soccer tournament, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Trump will serve as the chair of the task force, while Vice President JD Vance will serve as the vice chair. As the executive director, Giuliani will be tasked with managing and overseeing daily operations. Trump also announced Tuesday that Carlos Cordeiro, a FIFA senior advisor, will serve as a senior advisor on the task force. The task force was created to lead federal efforts in support of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. "We hope that Andrew Giuliani, as head of this task force, really steps in and works with Gianni Infantino to say, 'This rhetoric is not welcome here, you need to make a statement. And we're not going to be welcoming antisemites, anti-Westerners, anti-American, pro-terror individuals, whether they're fans or players, into this country,'" Rez said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
