So the Linfield-Celtic game didn’t turn out to be the friendly, happy event that some had assured us it would be. One of Stephen Nolan’s regulars – I think it was Thomas from the Shankill, but I’m not sure – was, pre-match, strong on the danger that some trouble-maker Celtic fans might get into Windsor Park and cause trouble.
Now UEFA has decided to charge both sides in relation to the game. Linfield fans will be charged with throwing objects, including a bottle of buckfast, onto the pitch, and invading the pitch. Celtic have been charged with having picked up five bookings, and provoking disorder by tying a Celtic scarf to one of the goalposts.
A number of years ago, Nigella Lawson’s husband was pictured at a restaurant apparently grabbing her by the throat. At the time I suggested, not that what he did was acceptable conduct, but that she might have provoked him by something she said. I was immediately subjected to a torrent of criticism – her husband couldn’t shuffle off the blame for what he did by any suggestion that he was provoked. If my critics were right and I was wrong, then the action of Celtic player Leigh Griffiths in tying the scarf to the goalpost should not be used as any kind of excuse for the conduct of Linfield fans. And did I mention that Griffiths picked up one of those yellow cards when he showed the referee the bottle of buckfast that was hurled at him?
So while it’d be nice to wrap up this game with the label “Both sides to blame”, a few moments thought suggests that it might have been the Linfield fans who were at fault. Which kind of kicks a hole in all the assurances that the fears of Celtic F C for the safety of their fans had no basis in reality.
I’ve never been to Windsor Park. Nothing that happened at the Linfield-Celtic game would encourage me to think again.
Whilst agreeing with the general point of your article, it’s worth pointing out that there’s clear footage of Linfield fans shouting angrily at the bottle throwers.
I found this encouraging and suspect that that wouldn’t have been the case in recent years.
Punished for tying a scarf to a goalpost ‘provoked’ disorder. Hmm… by that logic you could be fine for being a Catholic in Windsor Park.
I found it rather strange that Arlene Foster took it upon herself to send her support to Linfield via Twitter. Would she have done so if they were playing Rosenberg? And how long has Jim Wells from South Down been a Linfield supporter?
Gee, it’s hard being a taig in this place.
moser
Is it? How ?
Gio, I consider you to be a sophist. And if I wanted to give myself a sore head I would find a brick wall to bang it against. I guess you could find some volunteer work to do, or perhaps take some Irish history classes. You are so one-eyed that the tone of my post was totally lost on you. Rejoice all ye taigs . . . We’re free at last ! Well, according to Gio. I’ll be a good boy and complain no more.
moser
Fair enough. Sorry I asked.
Look gio, you know I enjoy your posts.
moser
And I yours. Nuff said.
moser and the word sophist.
Looked it up, thank you for that new to me word sums the dear boy up to a T. Thank you lol will remember that word now.
Stephen
If my arguments are false you can challenge them if you like, instead of indulging in silly man playing.
your dead on gio but as moser said and i quote (And if I wanted to give myself a sore head I would find a brick wall to bang it against)
how do they hate us, let me count the ways………………
I think the scarf episode was perhaps a reminder to our unionist/Protestant neighbours that this is actually a shared space. They tend to forget.
A sizeable element of the Linfield support disgraced themselves. The referee should have abandoned the game once it became clear that glass bottles were being thrown from the stands.
Themuns…..usuns……they hate us more than we hate them. What a load of crap. This is not sport. This tribalism around a green field. The whole lot should be abandoned forever. It has nothing to do with soccer.
Down vs Monaghan, now that was sport. Clones on Sunday, that was sport.
Croke Park in September that is sport.
Well Jude,
Sometimes you read articles like this about 2 clubs whose fans vehemently oppose one another in the English and Scottish leagues and that the fans brought the club into disrepute but this is a situation where there were virtually no Celtic fans present and a significant number of Linfield fans brought their club into disrepute. The provocation being the presence of Celtic players.
What Leigh Griffiths did was probably immature but it did illustrate to TV audiences the poisonous atmosphere of hate that prevailed within the ground. Observes from outside the poison 6 will be able to recognise naked sectarian hatred (cloaked in club animosity) when they see it!
Jude,leave Nigella out of it.I won’t have a word said about my favourite cook!
Leigh Griffiths was shown a yellow card for provoking trouble by tying a Celtic scarf to the goalpost.
Was he also provoking trouble by wearing a Celtic outfit while playing for Celtic?
Surely the yellow card could have been justified had the offending article been an Irish tricolour or even a Palestinian flag!
Windsor Park was bedecked by union jacks – why were they not outlawed as provoking the few Celtic fans attending?
According to Cal (above) some Linfield fans disgraced themselves – is this not what they always do?
The only difference is that there’s rarely an international audience to their shenanigans!
I always thought there was the danger there would be some unpleasant behaviour at this game. Why? Well, Linfield’s average home crowd for an Irish League fixture is around the 1,500 mark, so this game was always going to attract a large number of people who never normally attend either a home or away Linfield game. They came bevvied up (to use a Glaswegian expression), determined to cause trouble and they did. I listened to the match on Radio Scotland and the commentator made the point that when the missile throwing occurred the majority of Linfield supporters booed those who were doing so. The club will now be fined by E.U.F.A. for the behaviour of these idiots and the Linfield chairman has said they will be banned from the ground for life.
I think Celtic made the right decision in not taking up their ticket allocation, as some of their Scottish fans were always likely to come to Belfast, get similarly bevvied up and cause trouble. This assumption is based on the fact that since 2011 Celtic have been fined over £100,000 by E.U.F.A. for bad behaviour by their fans, mostly at away games. The local Celtic fans who attended the game appear to have behaved well, as I would expect them to do. When some of them were interviewed on T.V. they said Linfield fans had obtained tickets for them. I don’t believe for one moment that those who caused trouble are real football fans and it certainly wouldn’t put me off going to Windsor Park, as I’ve been there many times to support my own provincial Irish league club and never witnessed any trouble.
Willie, the Celtic fines have been mostly for very minor incidents some were ridiculous eg. having Palestinian flags at a game in Israel (that is a fine to be proud of- wish UEFA would take the brave step and ban all Israeli teams until Israel guarantees the human rights of Palestinian players). They also got in trouble for songs on the basis they cause offence (not because they are sectarian but because they make reference to the IRA- which helped establish the Irish State). Whilst I can see why some people get violent when Celtic supporters air their world view I don’t accept that their supporters cause much trouble.
I can’t understand why tying a scarf to a goalpost is considered offensive- I have seen it happen without comment around the world. To get a card for showing the referee a bottle that someone has just thrown at you is ridiculous and the referee had a legal and moral responsibility to stop the game at that point. I am sure the referee was briefed about how dangerous the situation was for everyone and that he had to try and punish Celtic to try and calm the sectarian element within the crowd.
I am certain Celtic did not take up the allocation because their supporters would have been at serious risk of death or injury. I have never heard Celtic supporters singing sectarian songs, invade the pitch to attack players or throw missiles at opponents.
I would also accept that most Linfield supporters are not openly sectarian but a significant minority would have to be.
Celtic did not take up the allocation because they didn’t trust their supporters and wanted to avoid a fine. A sensible decision given what happened at Parkhead on Wednesday.
As for serious risk of death or injury, what nonsense. Nobody was hurt at either match.
And you said you’d never heard Celtic supporters singing sectarian songs, well you have now if you watched Wednesday’s match.
I would also accept that most Celtic supporters are not openly sectarian but a significant minority would have to be.
Tam what Song was sectarian?
awk, sure, them Sellick fans are just angels so they are:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40674198
one lot’s as bad as the other, right?
Well, on Wednesday only one lot was singing sectarian songs and showing support for terrorism and it wasn’t Linfield.
Tam, you’d need to go away and look up the definition of sectarian before commenting. You are only embarassing yourself. Engage the brain.
Let me guess: you define sectarian as relating only to religion so that pro-terror and anti-unionist behaviour doesn’t fall within the definition?
So it appears one lot is as bad as the other.
What a surprise!