Celtic's Bolingoli fiasco – one idiot, many culprits

Rather than continually waiting for the next act of stupidity or deliberate wrecking of the competitions, 
we should call for the charade to be ended and the season to be suspended now

Only a week ago the greatest problem vexing the minds of most Celtic fans was the awful prospect of signing a 33-year-old Steven Fletcher and the fearful possibility that he was being considered as a replacement for Odsonne Edouard.

And if a week is a long time in politics, it can seem like a lifetime in football.

Some of us thought we had problems on Sunday when a repeat of the performances we've seen all too often over the last two or three years at Rugby Park saw us dropping two points in our second game of the season.

The team showing was contemptible, Chris Jullien showed again why he won second prize in the wet paper bag fighting contest and there were serious questions over the approach of the coaching staff who have yet to find an answer to the Kilmarnock high press on their admittedly poor pitch.

If Jullien thought he would be the major talking point there were plenty of other contenders, namely the tiresome lack of availability of Tom Rogic, the paper-thin squad (particularly after the departure of Simunovic, thankfully, and Jonny Hayes), Bayo not being available and the mystery of Shved continuing.

Five substitutions should favour teams with stronger squads but with misfiring in all departments in a tactically hopeless mess, Neil Lennon clearly felt short of quality options to replace the underperforming players on show on Sunday.

Ironically one chink of light came in the form of Boli Bolingoli Nbombo who, coming on late, contributed to three good chances that our foxes in the box managed to foxup entirely.

Those few moments from Bolingoli were the equal of anything he has produced in his risible time at Celtic and if not quite a hurrah they will certainly represent his last contribution to the club.

The facts of what happened are indisputable. Bolingoli went on a moonlight jaunt to Spain for reasons as yet unclear and broke Covid-19 regulations, actually having the audacity to play at Rugby Park without telling anyone at the club about his exploits.

That provided Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP leadership cult with a perfect opportunity to indulge two of their great pleasures: deflecting from negative at media attention directed at the first minister and taking a swipe at Scottish football.

So, under pressure from the Joint Response Group, which was under the direction of Nicola Sturgeon, the SPFL decided to cancel Celtic's next 2 League games; one with Aberdeen who also had their Covid-19 issues.

If the facts of what happened are clear enough,  who's to blame and what should be done do not lend themselves so easily to such simplistic answers as might be imagined.

Bolingoli is certainly to blame. His actions were inexcusable and indefensible and no amount of apologies - sincere or otherwise - can mitigate those actions in any way.

He should certainly be punished to a far greater degree than the £480 fixed penalty notice imposed by police Scotland even if the apparent prompting of the Justice Minister, of whom the police are supposed to be independent, should cause concern.

In my view his punishment should be the maximum fine allowable under the rules as well as a substantial ban, preferably taking him beyond the next transfer window.

But simply ripping up his contract should not be an option. There were some suggestions on Twitter yesterday that Celtic could even sue him for breach of contract and recover some of ridiculous outlay they paid for a player who will surely go down as one of the worst purchases in the club's history.

To me, suing would be a step too far unless it could be proven that his trip (which looks very much like it was intended to discuss a transfer) was planned as some intricate scheme to get thrown out of Celtic. I doubt very much that he possesses is that intelligence.

On the other hand making a free agent of a £3m-pound footballer we dare not play - and who wants a move - would simply be rewarding a scurrilous activity that has already damaged Celtic and has been to the detriment and peril of Scottish football entirely.

Those actions should be non-starters but so, too, should be the suggestion of sending Bolingoli out on loan with an option to buy. That would be in the club's best financial interests but it would do nothing to protect the integrity of football or to protect Celtic or the game in general from potential sabotage through such reprehensible actions, in times of crisis, such as these.

Of course, the club must be careful to observe the law and not give Bolingoli any opportunity to leave through constructive dismissal or breach of contract. This is where the football authorities should show leadership and impose the most significant penalties within their powers.

But we should also remember that Bolingoli's culpability is not in any way diminished by having other targets in our sights.

The SPFL

It may been news to some that resisting the attempts of The Rangers to bring Scottish football to its knees - and force last season to be voided due to the pandemic - is not the same as endorsing the

leadership of the SPFL.

I do not and never have believed that this season would be completed.

Successfully completing the season might be possible in countries where there are clear policies and rules; effective, disciplined compliance and competent administration of the game.

Scotland is not one of those countries.

The SPFL may believe its guidelines are clear and that they can be sure that every club has communicated them effectively to young athletes of varied backgrounds, including different linguistic origins.

But there's a problem with that. With the best will in the world, it's difficult to convey a clear, simple message concerning complex and often vague conditions.

That may somewhat mitigate the actions of the Aberdeen players who went to pubs, legally opened and overcrowded, and found themselves in breach of distancing rules and guidelines over groups from more than 3 households.

And to Aberdeen's credit they did nothing to try to escape the consequences of their players' actions -  and were even quite ready to face what would surely have been a sound drubbing at the hands of a full-strength Celtic team, minus eight first-team players.

But the SPFL, having been quite frankly too afraid to punish the Rangers after fielding players without waiting for their covid-19 tests, have created an atmosphere in which it is difficult to know if any transgressions will be taken seriously, even in the unlikely event of every player understanding their responsibilities.

On top of that, the SPFL simply rolled over in the face of pressure from a government that has been hell-bent on attacking Scottish football ever since the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act was repealed.

Let's not forget that the government were threatening to intervene in Scottish football over crowd-control issues for more than a year, pre-covid-19, and now it has flexed its muscles over eight players in a pub and one player on a trip to Spain.

With weak-kneed leadership, being feart in the face of the Rangers and completely capitulating to the Scottish government, the SPFL and SFA have walked into a situation whereby the Scottish government can constantly threaten to bring the game crashing down.

And, if they can do so while apportioning the blame to others, they will.

SNP and Tories

Celtic are now in the unenviable position of being at the centre of an unedifying fight between the SNP and the Tories for the votes of the Rangers supporting loyalist Orange members of Scottish society.

We are often called paranoid but with buffoons such as Professor Adam Tomkins and Murdo Fraser openly courting the Rangers Supporters online; with their new Tory leader Douglas Ross insisting that he will still run the line in games; and on the other side with Ibrox Park being in the constituency of Nicola Sturgeon there is every reason to believe that damaging Celtic and stopping 10 in a row could be a major vote-winner fin next year's elections.

It doesn't help that Labour in the LibDems are so appallingly ineffective that nobody in their right mind would vote for them.

 

But, with the SNP, it seems that there is a genuine distaste for football and the football supporter. The Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, first introduced by Alex Salmond and defended to the hilt by Nicola Sturgeon criminalised ordinary actions in the context of football that would not be seen as illegal elsewhere. 

There is every reason to believe that football supporters are still considered an underclass in Scotland that is despised by the SNP.

It is also a convenient scapegoat while negative headlines are attached to the party or its leader.

Without strong, effective responses from the SPFL, including Peter Lawwell, who is on its board, Scottish football will continue to be battered by the Scottish government and Celtic will be the biggest losers.

Celtic

And as a club just what have Celtic done about all this? 

They issued the usual necessary statements against Bolingoli but have they done anything to defend the interests of the club and the fans? I see little evidence of that.

What they have done is completely capitulate when, without any requirement under the rules, our club has been penalised by politicians.

Thee club is exceptionally vocal when touting season tickets for matches that they know are unlikely to take place and even less likely to take place in front of fans. They indulge in wall-to-wall marketing of football strips, merchandise, Celtic media and every opportunity for the fan to put money into the clubs coffers. But when the fans need someone to stand up for them, Celtic - Dermot Desmond, Peter Lawwell and Ian Bankier - observe a "dignified silence".

While these people indulge in a high-stakes game of corporate Moneyball the last thing on their minds is the interests of the fans who simply want to see a strong team on the park playing on an even field. 

And what no one in the media - mainstream or independent -seems to have asked is did anyone in Scottish football really believe that this season would be completed when they were selling season tickets in advance.

It defies all expectations of scientists and public health professionals and I for one believe that together they have perpetrated one of the biggest frauds in sport

The people who run Celtic are a disgrace but they have been enabled.

Fans

But the fans also have to take some share of the blame.

Firstly, by the annual act of faith of buying 53,000 season tickets, clearing the shelves of strips and pouring money into the club all on promises that are rarely fulfilled.

Yes we have won 9 titles in a row and that is a memorable achievement. It theoretically puts us in a similar category to Bayern Munich, who have achieved the same in the Bundesliga, and one step ahead of Juventus and New Quay Saints of Wales who have both won eight consecutive titles.

The point is that being a little better than extremely poor for a very long time should not be the aspiration of Celtic fans.

But it has been enough to mollify sufficient numbers to stop any protests in the only meaningful way possible - by hitting the club and its executives and directors in the pocket.

Similarly, amid the backlash against Bolingoli, numerous Celtic fans were only too quick to bend over and accept any punishment meted out, like children in the class all being belted over the transgressions of one and accepting that it was fully deserved.

What chance do we have of fairness, never mind improvement, while our own fans play into the hands of those who either don't care about us or despise us?

This is the club we've made and this is the game that our club has allowed to become.

Rather than continually waiting for the next act of stupidity or deliberate wrecking of the competitions, we should call for the charade to be ended and the season to be suspended now, with all season tickets being valid for 2021/22.

That may seem like a crime but I would see it as a mercy killing.

Open To ALL - Neither the Green Brigade nor FAC have a right to divide Celtic Park on party-political grounds

I have always had mixed feelings about the Green Brigade.

I love many of their displays and acknowledge the atmosphere that they have generated at times when it has been badly needed.

I also give them huge credit for the food bank collections, which accentuate the solidarity of Celtic fans with the poor for whom our club was founded, especially as so few other clubs' fans ever come close to matching it.

I have similar values to many of those that the GB express – left, Irish Republican, and for a just solution for the Palestinian people.

On the latter issue, I have no problem saying that, overall, I was wrong about the Palestinian flag protest for the match with Hapoel Be'er Sheva and the subsequent "Match the Fine for Palestine" was a very proud moment for Celtic that I had not anticipated. Fair play.

But while the GB was proved right about the previous Palestinian action (and this weekend certainly warranted one), many of their political activities have given me cause for concern.

Not necessarily because I disagree with the message but because claiming Celtic for a narrow political viewpoint is divisive and inappropriate to a club with Celtic's "open to all" identity and values.

Okay, we're not really open to all – not to neo-Nazis, Fascists, racists, Antisemites, Islamophobes, anti-Catholic bigots or anyone who discriminates on the basis of any religious discrimination.

Generally, anyone who advocates discrimination against minorities is not welcome to express their views at Celtic Park (though some minorities would not have been welcomed at any club, including Celtic, in previous decades).

That's just my opinion, of course. This is my personal forum for expressing it and I have to acknowledge that I don't speak for Celtic or Celtic fans.

But this is one area in which I feel that the Green Brigade can often lack an appreciation of nuance and the true value of diversity.

Frankly, I think that they often act like a bunch of overgrown kids (though many are, in fact, just  kids).

I have sung many a song in honour of the Irish rebels, who people like me remember, particularly at Easter time.

The Foggy Dew, Come Out Ye Black-'N'-Tans, The Boys of the Ould Brigade, The Merry Ploughboy, Rock on Rockall and more. But I have never sung any of them at Celtic Park.

Because, they are not necessarily understood and, if they are, not necessarily accepted amongst the Celtic support.

Danny McGrain MBE

Excuse the nuance, folks, but Willie Maley – a far greater Celt than I or (I humbly submit) any Green Brigade member – urged young men to fight for the British Empire. And that's when it was a real piece of work!

That would be the same empire from which many great Celts accepted bestowed honours – Sir Bob Kelly; Jock Stein, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; Bobby Lennox, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; Paul McStay, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and more.

All, immeasurably greater Celts than I could ever wish to be.

And that necessarily implies to me that Celtic supporters can't exclude even those who have fought for that empire from our midst, never mind those fans who currently support Scotland's place in the United Kingdom and vote for it.

And, logically, neither could we or should we seek to exclude people who support Scottish independence.

I've lived through the last throes of Labour in Scotland and I didn't like what I saw. I don't much like the Scottish National Party, either.

Personally, I'm a left-leaning supporter of Scottish independence, with no support for the British union, and would be politically closest to the Scottish Socialist Party had that entity not gone up in a puff of hubris, testosterone and farce.

So, what are we going to say? You can't be a Celtic supporter and vote for a British Unionist party like Labour, the Conservatives or the LibDems?

You can't be a Celtic supporter who, like me, vociferously opposed the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act and vote SNP?

"Radical" Celtic fans say Yes to Scottish independence

If you think, “Yes”, to either question, I would ask who exactly you think you are to make Celtic Park the battleground for your narrow view of politics.

And who the hell you think you are to use Celtic or Fans Against Criminalisation to make party-political points at Celtic Park, as the Green Brigade did on Saturday during the match against Ross County.

"FAC 1 – 0 SNP", the banner went, with the Green Brigade “Ultras” skull logo, despite FAC having gone to great lengths to say that they represented a broad range of opinions and football loyalties.

The banner also had the tag – ACAB (All Coppers Are Bastards).

The OBFA, admittedly, caused tremendous damage to relations between Scottish football supporters and Police Scotland (and Celtic fans have long had an at best guarded relationship with the police as an institution).

But, to be kind, this is just another example of the rebel wannabe kids spewing forth on banners without thinking of nuance at all. "All coppers are bastards"? Doesn't that sound discriminatory? Have you envisaged a state that can exist in the absence of a police force?

(As I have always said, if you want to say, “ACAB”, then never lower yourself to call the cops so that one of those bastards has to risk his or her safety to get you or a loved-one out of a hole.)

So, according to one banner, you can't be an SNP-supporter or a police officer and be a Celtic fan.

Only if you believe that the Green Brigade's big banner – thankfully not recently with their “pyro” bonfire-night displays – speaks for Celtic, rather than a bunch of kids, who can grow up in their own time, not on Celtic's.

As with most divisive issues, I see stridently diverse opinions on the issue of Scottish independence.

Some see those who sing against British imperialism in Ireland but support British-Unionist Labour to be the most risible of hypocrites.

Others see the SNP, the primary party of Scottish independence, as an untrustworthy shower with no regard for Scotland's Irish Catholic community or football supporters as a group.

William Wallace and Bobby Sands banners at Celtic Park

Both positions have their arguable merits.

But, like it or not, members of both camps have a place at Celtic.And many thousands of SNP supporters and voters also support Celtic.

Just as Green and LibDem supporters, capitalists and – yes – even Tories. (We've had plenty in the past, though I find the party particularly offensive - which is not illegal).

Our club has embraced them all – imperialists, republicans, Catholics, Protestants, “Mohammedans” (as Maley referred to our first Muslim player), Jews, Gay people and many (though fewer now) homophobes.

Let no one or any group try to dictate that the Celtic family or club, open to all, should be divided according to their own narrow views or use the platform of Celtic to seek to exclude people from our club.

Our unity and diversity has enabled us to stand strong against every outside force that sought to divide us - one club since 1888.

There is a place for us all – even the Green Brigade.

And, always, especially the kids.