Arrests made at Hibernian v Rangers Challenge Cup match

[JTP 0]

I suspect a scathing statement is being drafted by the RST right now.

 

I'd hope so, the RST have been on the ball with responses recently to be fair.

[Germinal 27]

Here's a piece about some trouble in Oz. Not to hard to imagine some people of a non-Rangers affiliation thinking about doing the same here! The publicity would be horrendous. Whatever your own belief western (inc. Oz in this context) societies seem to be at a place where they won't tolerate things like this anymore. Answer is no politics of any sort at sport, but I wonder how likely that is.

 

Continued booing of Adam Goodes may require football players to walk off the ground to protest against a rise in “corrupted national pride” among some Australians, the country’s race discrimination commissioner has warned.

 

Tim Soutphommasane said AFL players may have to mirror the actions of some football players in Europe, who have publicly protested against racist treatment from fans.

 

“If things do not improve, and assuming Goodes plays on, it may have to come to the players taking matters into their own hands,” Soutphommasane said in a speech to the Australian National University on Wednesday.

 

“In Europe there have been occasions in football when teams have walked off the pitch in protest against racist abuse. What an indictment on our society it would be were things to come to reach such a point.”

 

Goodes, Australian rules football’s most prominent Indigenous player, has been repeatedly booed by rival fans. It follows him criticising Australia’s policies towards Indigenous people and identifying a 13-year-old football fan for calling him an “ape” in 2013. The booing has intensified since Goodes’s war dance in front of the crowd in June.

 

Soutphommasane said the “ugly” booing has “involved an element of racism” and needed to stop, noting reports that the Sydney Swans player is considering retiring because of the controversy.

 

“Goodes has been a public figure not afraid of challenging prejudice, not afraid of asking questions about Australian history and society,” he said. “He has done it in ways that have made some people feel uncomfortable.

 

“And it beggars belief to think that those booing somehow don’t know what they are doing. In taking a stand against racism, [Goodes] has inspired many, empowering others to do the same.

 

“And, partly because of that, he is now the target of despicable behaviour.

 

“Adam Goodes is a champion of football, an advocate for human rights, a man of integrity. He deserves our respect. It is not him, but those targeting him, who deserve our contempt.”

 

Soutphommasane said the recent Reclaim Australia rallies, the feeling among many Muslims that they are under suspicion and a rise in reports of anti-Semitism shows that Australia is “at risk of a deterioration of our community harmony”.

 

Although racist agitators were still clearly in the minority, a sort of “corrupted national pride” appeared to be on the increase in Australia.

 

“Not all that long ago, ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ was just a harmless chant at sporting events,” he said. “Waving the national flag in public was regarded as something done not by Aussies but by Americans. The idea of tattooing your flesh with the southern cross was, well, strange.

 

“Not today. And there is a strain of patriotic expression that is tainted with the stain of aggressive nationalism. For some, loving your country means declaring: ‘Australia: love it or leave it’ or ‘Go back to where you came from.’

 

“For some, patriotism means believing that you can identify ‘real’ Aussies on the one hand, and those who don’t belong here on the other.”

 

Soutphommasane said “genuine patriotism” based upon egalitarianism and generosity was the best bulwark to racism and intolerance.

 

“It is time that we reclaim patriotism,” he said. “Because our national story and symbols don’t belong to just a select few. They belong to all of us.”

 

In a statement responding to the booing of Goodes, the AFL Fans Association said the situation is an “emotive and divisive” issue among fans.

 

“We appreciate that many fans who have booed Adam Goodes genuinely feel that they are not motivated by racism,” it said.

 

“Regardless, we urge all fans who have done so to stop booing in the interests of the game and Adam Goodes the person. Adam is a proud Aboriginal man, dual Brownlow medallist and premiership player.

 

“Regardless of its motivation, the booing is clearly hurting him as an individual and being interpreted by him and many others, including players of all teams, as having racist undertones. It is also not helping the game.”

[pete 2,499]

In Holland the Referees have been warned to take the players off the pitch for a cool down period and a warning is put over the speakers to stop the chants. If it is continued they can abandon the game. As far as I know it has never come to that at prof level. I believe it has at amateur level.

[JohnMc 2,802]

I was reading about Goodes at the weekend, it's amazing how a story about a player you've never heard of in a sport no one understands can go global. I absolutely agree with Germinal though this is the next 'logical' step if 'sectarian' chanting ever becomes commonplace again.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Where are all the fans groups ? Have they no comment on this ?

 

I stand to be corrected and it just might be purely coincidental, but since the new board took over i have noticed a slight decrease in supporters groups statements?

 

Obviously their statements about Board matters and conduct are not needed now, but statements about other matters like Mhedia bias have been curtailed.

Edited July 30, 2015 by aweebluesoandso

[barca72 440]

http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2015/07/chris-mclaughlin-called-to-task-by-rst.html?m=1

 

 

30 July 2015

 

None of the pictures or copy of the tweets copied over, so best just to click on the link.

[Bearman 9]

Chris McLaughlin called to task by RST over match delegate report

 

 

by Shane Nicholson | Executive Editor

 

One of the sideline highlights of Rangers' 6-2 bashing of Hibs at the weekend was the BBC's Chris McLaughlin shooting his mouth off about info he'd received from match delegate George Douglas, who just happens to be the ex security supremo at Celtic Park

 

 

 

 

Fill your boots, Chris!

 

McLaughlin's final claim of handling this the same as he would any other club is of course laughable. There are two times he has words to report on Rangers: 1) when a supporter does something stupid; and 2) when he reads his emails from Jack Irvine.

 

In fact, the last time Chris mentioned "arrest" on Twitter in context of football fans was back in July of 2011. You'll never guess what club is was focused on...

 

 

 

All this aside, the obvious question arose as to how Chris could possibly get his hands on the info in the match delegate's report prior to even the SPFL, and what police did he possibly talk with to confirm his information as all subsequent reports had seven fans arrested and zero identification as to what team they support.

 

Of course McLaughlin, behind a story on the BBC's website with no byline, filed a report typical of his past work:

 

 

How oh how was intrepid reporter and wholesale Irvine jockey Chris McLaughlin able to garner such complete information? Inquiring minds would like to know, including now the Rangers Supporters Trust.

 

The RST has written to the SPFL tonight seeking explanation as to the conduct of its match delegate on the day, including whether it is "common practice for SPFL match delegates to approach journalists and 'offer' them detailed information on the contents of their match report." They go on to ask: "If not can you explain why the match delegate saw fit in this instance to approach the media to highlight one aspect of the contents of his match report?"

 

Obviously, despite McLaughlin's rather ridiculous arse-covering explanation, it is not the status quo to have match delegates giving briefings before their report has been filed with and reviewed by the SPFL. Poor Chrissy Mac, the hard-working nose-to-the-ground reporter that he claims to be, may have finally gone a step too far.

 

http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2015/07/chris-mclaughlin-called-to-task-by-rst.html?m=1

Edited July 30, 2015 by Bearman

[RANGERRAB 3,771]

Good stuff from the RST but should this not be coming from the club itself? Where is our new MD ?