This is an incredible story.
And the fact that a major public broadcaster was allowed to air this opinion about Celtic and the fans without challenge or return is scandalous.
Talksport ran a segment yesterday where they were speaking about safe standing areas. They interviewed a football Police Chief Mark Roberts, who is clearly against the idea, when he made some unsubstantiated claims against the Celtic fans, “Well, let me let me just address Celtic because I think if not used example of having been a lot from the outset, can I just say that you cannot fault Celtics approach to this.
“They have not done it for money. They have invested. There is no suggestion that they’ve done it for anything other than trying to give the fans what they want.
“So there’s not an issue with that. The issue though, that they can’t control is then how some of the fans will then try and behave in that circumstance.
“So it’s coincided for example, with the growth of the Green Brigade who could have been counted as you know exuberant, boisterous fans.
“But with it comes bad behaviour called bullying of their own supporters.
“And if you look at the parts of the ground that gets shut at Celtic, when there’s bad behaviour, it is invariably around the area where you’ve got standing.
“And it will lead, unless we’re really careful manage this properly, to areas that aren’t policed.
“Because if you look at certain grounds, where you have people continually standing in large numbers, that makes it so much harder for stewards and police to intervene, and actually take out the troublemakers.”
The Celtic fans, understandably, furiously reacted reacted to this and have called on the club to challenge these remarks:
https://twitter.com/CeejMcCaff/status/1456559236033519616?s=20
https://twitter.com/CaoimhinOSF/status/1456546262174605348?s=20
I have heard MANY people complain about being Bullied By police…not even just at football https://t.co/4Bia6YXZGk
— Clare 🍀 (@ScotlandClare) November 5, 2021
Surely our club can't stand by as people like him lie about its fans https://t.co/nWRUjmrRwl
— mαѕѕímσѕlєfthαnd (@hevalecraig) November 5, 2021
But other fans took to humour to deride the comments:
I can't go to the football because of the Green Brigade. Sometimes they take food from me amd give it to foodbanks. Police Scotland attitiude explained. And we're aboit to hire one of them? https://t.co/AjcU1BPd31
— Richard McGinley (@Richiestoke) November 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/gavlenny/status/1456409289115975680?s=20
The Green Brigade once said to me d'you think yur funny coz yur face is, i've never left the house since. 😢 https://t.co/94jDB0h9FZ
— Cecil Teapot Jnr (@TeapotJnr) November 4, 2021
Yes. I cant even go to games anymore because the green brigade bully me and steal my lunch money 🙈
The absolute state of this. Talk about an agenda driven interview. https://t.co/oizB6ZZoHd— Kev Ryan (@KevinRyan85) November 5, 2021
The club have, as yet, to make a statement. It’s almost been 24 hours. I’m sure they’ll come out soon to defend their fans………..