Ongoing issues with UEFA (two sanctions and counting)

[cooponthewing 1,139]

3 minutes ago, compo said:

And all this news has taken the heat off the other mob for the numerous first fights at Parkhead the other night between both sets of fans my next door neighbour who was there said it was quite bad 

Nothing will be highlighted on them, much of that is political and possibly financial? We just need to not give them cover fire for when the do screw up. They know there is a massive storm engulfing them at the moment, this just deflects from it. The sooner we get our own house in order the better. UEFA, SFA and every Shame FC follower will be 100% focused more than ever on us now.

[rbr 1,256]

I actually agree with the sentiments behind meeting UEFA and FARE if required , like it or not this isn’t going away , if we do not get in front of this the SPFL will be next .

[der Berliner 3,744]

1 hour ago, craig said:

We don’t need face to face meetings to determine which words shouldn’t be used.  It’s self explanatory.

As it stands, the support gets no vote, no voice ... and the club usually only reacts to what UEFA say. I prefer a clear and open approach so that we not let others to decide on us ... and you will agree that the motives of FARE are far from impartial?

[der Berliner 3,744]

1 hour ago, 917 said:

Irish is a legally defined race. I don’t know if you’re based in the UK, but if you fill in eg an application form for a job you will be asked to state your race, & Irish is one of the options. ****** is nowadays generally regarded as a derogatory term for the Irish, whether we like it or not. You might not class it as racism, but then again the people hating blacks, Asians and whatnot probably wouldn’t class words like ‘nigger’ and ‘paki’ as racist either.

 

The point about religion is more valid as you could justify criticising eg the Pope and the Vatican, however singing songs about burning chapels isn’t really part of a theological debate. That argument just won’t work in 2019.

 

Germany.

 

As far as I am concerned, the Dutch are no race, the Germans are none, and the British or Irish either. 

 

Point remains that it is taken out of the context here, as I would assume that those singing against the F*enians at Ibrox refer to the I.R.A. as well as those Yahoo hores that support them and give themselves the very same name. And the last thing we want is that band regard themselves as something like a "race" themselves.

 

With that in mind was the remark about supporters talking to the authorities, not some semi-politic, agenda driven institutions. Go out there and ask any Bluenose you meet and whether they have any sort of problem with the Irish. There will be none. 

 

 

[JFK-1 1,693]

2 hours ago, der Berliner said:

EDIT: Maybe the Supporters Liason Officer and some "big guns" from the support - be that David Edgar, Mark Dingwall, Craig Houston or anyone else that springs to mind - should get together, meet up with some relevant UEFA and discuss the thing face to face.

 

After this fiasco it is fundamentally important that we organize and gather all information and details, so we have something to work with. Who knows what FARE deems racist and sectarian? What does UEFA know about our songs? What is actually unacceptable?

 

As it stands, the keyboard warriors run amok, yet know-one knows any details nor are we able to react in a concerted manner.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to talk to them but in the meantime everybody knows what will see the club punished and potentially lose a million pounds in revenue. If anyone feels incapable of watching a game without singing songs which rightly or wrongly they already know  can cost the club a million pounds then they need to watch on TV and sing it in their own home.

 

 

[cooponthewing 1,139]

3 hours ago, craig said:

We don’t need face to face meetings to determine which words shouldn’t be used.  It’s self explanatory.

I actually think this could be of benefit in the longer term. I can’t be the only one who was not looking forward to the OF game. The media and Hollicom would have gone after us and the songbook. This way we are forewarned and can take action to avoid it. They will have no ammunition of substance if we don’t give them any. 

[ian1964 10,724]

 

[RANGERRAB 3,674]

1 hour ago, rbr said:

I actually agree with the sentiments behind meeting UEFA and FARE if required , like it or not this isn’t going away , if we do not get in front of this the SPFL will be next .

I don’t think there’s any chance FARE would meet us. To me they’re a secret, sinister organisation who operate in a similar way to the stasi & KGB used to do by spying on specific people & organisations. Their accountability should concern everyone.

 

I would however like to see the club enter dialogue with UEFA to determine what their relationship with FARE is and specifically who decides what games they attend. We need to know who these people at games are & who they are accountable to.

 

So little seems to be known about FARE & who is funding them. Football must have openness & transparency. If not then things could turn very nasty indeed.

[ian1964 10,724]

Alison McConnell: UEFA have set tone for Rangers, time for SFA and SPFL to follow suit.

IN its haste to announce UEFA’s sanction against Rangers yesterday afternoon one website reported that the Ibrox side were being penalised for their ‘signing’ as opposed to ‘singing’. Maybe UEFA were late to the party after all.

But if Catholic players putting on a Rangers jersey has become something so entirely unremarkable as to pass without comment then the tentacles of that old policy are far harder to control. Coming into line with the real world is one thing but overhauling a shift in entrenched culture would appear a far tougher ask.

If ever there was an indication of the curious dichotomy that goes on within the Ibrox club it might lie in the sight of Jermaine Defoe and Joe Aribo blessing themselves while a ditty of “F*** the Pope and The Vatican” echoes round about them.

The club’s recent inclusivity campaign of ‘Everyone Anyone’ is to be lauded. Whatever the criticisms of the historic decisions of Rangers, a tangible quest to distance themselves from a perceived identity can only be encouraged. Similarly, the tone of yesterday’s statement that announced the news of the removal of 3000 home fans for a crucial Europa League play-off was unequivocally strong in its condemnation of those responsible.

Dave King, the Rangers chairman, apologised to Steve Clarke after he was abused at Ibrox last season when Kilmarnock manager. Embarrassed at the nature of what was directed at the now Scotland manager King, to his credit, was eager to make his feelings public on the matter.

Yet, on the one hand the club cannot urge the support to shed its skin in such matters while also playing up to that element by taking a decision to turn out in lurid orange shirts. The most recent league games at Ibrox between Rangers and Celtic have been odious; all four stands within the stadium have had the full party songbook cranked up loud and clear. You can bet your mortgage on more of the same next weekend.

Which is where UEFA have shown the way. Scotland has wrung hands and clutched pearls when it has come to discussions of sectarianism. The governing body has passed the buck and effectively sat on its hands particularly in recent seasons when it has become more prevalent.

Arguments over strict liability have become as stale as an old piece of gum such are the repeated nature of its chewed over pros and cons. But if there is a standard of behaviour in Europe then why should it not apply in Scotland?

It seems absurd to contemplate that it was only in the late 1980s that former Rangers striker Mark Walters had bananas thrown at him when he first experienced an Old Firm game. Speaking on the 20th anniversary of that day, Walters remarked the only reason why culture had changed was, depressingly, not because people had understood the gravitas and ridiculousness of their views but rather the prevalence of CCTV had made people afraid of being caught.

 

His own philosophy on the matter was that if enlightenment cannot come then enforcement should.

It will be interesting to see now where things go with the Rangers support on Thursday night. UEFA will have no qualms in hammering the club with a stadium closure should there be any reporting from the observing delegate of the Famine Song or anything else that is viewed to be sectarian or racist in nature.

Rangers have given themselves more than a fighting chance of making it into the group stages of the Europa League for the season successive season. The balance of their second-leg play-off tie against Legia Warsaw is tipped in their favour after what has been an impressive qualification campaign. The chances are that the very real threat of being shut out their own stadium will be sufficient to bring forth a different songbook.

So if change can be forced upon people then is this not something that could and should be replicated in a domestic sense?

As a club Rangers have asked for a change in the behaviour of their support. They have requested a cessation of songs that have become cringeworthy to most observers.

At some point there is a stage when as a club you have to accept that you can request, instruct, demand but ultimately there are few places to go if your words fall on deaf ears.

Seismic changes in culture are difficult but they are possible; it is little over a decade ago that a smoking ban was implemented in the UK in pubs and restaurants. Lighting up now in shared space would be unthinkable.

Ditto driving a car without wearing a seatbelt or getting behind the wheel after a quick couple of pints.

Time can make things that were once routine seem preposterous. Scotland’s footballing bodies at some stage are going to have to take a look at how to make that happen.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17858315.alison-mcconnell-uefa-set-tone-rangers-time-sfa-spfl-follow-suit/

[cooponthewing 1,139]

29 minutes ago, ian1964 said:

The most recent league games at Ibrox between Rangers and Celtic have been odious; all four stands within the stadium have had the full party songbook cranked up loud and clear. You can bet your mortgage on more of the same next weekend.

She conveniently doesn't mention effigies, KAH, F@nian army and of course the IRAoeke which emanate  from all sides of the Piggery.

Edited August 24, 2019 by cooponthewing