The spotlight is firmly on our game. Make no mistake about that and it’s for all the wrong reasons.
After a scorching last six fixtures and yet another 6-0 victory, Celtic were creating headlines for all the right reasons.
Across the city, a bus load of Rangers fans were in the process of creating headlines that would cause massive ructions in the media as the country would then join together to condemn the racist abuse aimed at Kyogo Furuhashi.
Well almost the whole country. The narrative that this is a small minority seems to be being challenged as Tom English names a Rangers supporting website that he claims allows sectarian abuse to go unchecked.
English was speaking on BBC Sportsound when he said, “It’s profoundly grim. It’s depressing. I sincerely hope that Kyogo appreciates how much he’s respected by fans in this country and I would say loved and adored by Celtic fans in this country.
“And the disgraceful bigoted racist behaviour of those fans on the bus yesterday will not change that.
“Look we’ve been over this many many times. Everyone needs to look after their own house and Rangers have looked after their own house today by acting very promptly and decisively in banning these guys and identifying them and banning them.
“But it’s all very laudable to say, I think Darrell mentioned a couple of Rangers supporters websites, Follow Follow being one of them, very laudable for them to criticise, and condemn this behaviour, because it’s just what a fully formed human being would do.
“But on that platform, regularly, there is vile sectarian abuse that goes on unchecked. So everyone needs to step up here.
“What we have is we have a horrible incident like this. Everyone reacts. And we move on. And then down the line, there’s another one, and then another one, and then another one.
“And we seem to be this perpetual cycle, and it’s it’s it’s horrible.
“Because Kyogo has been nothing but joy since he arrived at Scottish football.
“He’s been absolutely brilliant. And I just feel bad for him because he’s been subjected to this absolute poison.”
Strong words from English and I think this may be the first time a specific supporter group/website has been called out for sectarianism so publicly. This story is set to rumble on for a few more days yet and with the Glasgow Derby just on the horizon, let’s hope we are talking about the football and nothing else after the game.