Exclusive
By Phil Mac Giolla Bhain
Donegal TD Joe McHugh has welcomed news that the ‘Show racism the red card’ has indicated its intention to focus on stamping out anti-Irish racism, which is currently a feature of Scottish football.
“Last winter Hamilton FC player James McCarthy was a victim of anti-Irish abuse at a number of SPL football grounds, including at Ibrox where the famine song was directed at him during two Rangers v Hamilton FC fixtures.” Said Deputy McHugh who had raised the issue of the Irish international Aiden McGeady of Glasgow Celtic has also been a victim of some anti-Irish racism on the terraces. Deputy McHugh submitted a question to Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin TD and with Sports Minister Martin Cullen TD on a number of occasions over the course of this season.
“I am pleased that the charity ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ has decided to prioritise tackling anti-Irish racism on Scottish terraces.”
“Ged Grebby of ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ is to be commended for taking this courageous step. What is unfortunate, however, is that the Irish government did not see fit to act on this matter more promptly last winter.” Said the Donegal TD.
“Aiden McGeady is one of the important players on Giovanni Trappatoni’s Irish side, and he will be a key player for us in South Africa if we qualify for World Cup 2010. James McCarthy will be an important player for us in the coming years, and we have a duty to protect them”said McHugh.
The new campaign by SRTRC was also welcomed by the FAI.
A spokesman for the FAI stated today that “This is a very positive development and we commend Show Racism the Red Card for leading the way in combating anti-Irish racism in Scottish soccer. We have an excellent working relationship with the organisation and we have every confidence that they will be successful in this campaign.”
SRTRC national director Ged Grebby will be attending his first Old Firm match this Saturday at Ibrox to see the scale of the problem as first hand.
Gerrybhoy
“Celtic fans who digraced the minutes silence for 9/11 a Fir Park also soft in the head” – if you had bothered to check this, you would have discovered that some Celtic fans were singing ON THEIR WAY IN TO THE STADIUM, unaware that the minutes silence had started.
But why let the facts get in the way of your spin……..
June 6, 2009 at 11:25 am
charlie
It did happen Ryan and there is media footage to show it, But lets not get into that.
All the articles on this site are now turning into a direct attacks on anything connected to Rangers Football Club.
It’s a rather unhealthy hatred to say the least
June 5, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Ryan
What blinkered view of Celtic fans do you refer to? I will be one of the first to condemn any idiots when I feel the need arises but I will also state facts when people feel the need to spread lies on a website to suit whatever agenda they may have.
Do you really need me to explain why Rangers fans felt the need to do airplane gestures to Shunsuke Nakamura? Who mentioned 9/11 in relation to this?
As for the minute silence I can’t comment on it. I wasn’t at that game and I never heard anything about it until now. Perhaps it was covered up by the ‘mhedia’ (sic), as the most delusional of hate-filled Rangers fans refer to it as. Seems rather unlikely to me.
I’m not saying it didn’t happen or that you don’t speak from a position of authority, but I wasn’t aware of it.
June 4, 2009 at 7:05 am
charlie
Ryan your blinkered views of Celtic fans is the exact reason why the problem will never be tackled.
What is achieved by Rangers fans mocking a plane crashing into the twin towers towards and why towards Shunsuke Nakamura ?
where the Celtic fans who disgraced the minutes silence for 9/11 at Fir Park also soft in the head
June 3, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Ryan
NOT in my opinion, but in the words of the chap (or the simpleton as you have referred to him as) himself.
The point being that the actions of one man (whether intentional or not) makes the FRONT PAGE of a Sunday rag. Hundreds of Rangers fans doing a similar action to Shunsuke Nakamura doesn’t even warrant a line or 2 in the sports report?
Yes, newspapers (in the loosest term possible) take great delight in highlighting the actions of misguided individual Celtic fans but don’t bother to mention the collective behaviour of a large group of Rangers fans? This wouldn’t be anything to do with the fact that was alleged in the Times (not the Glasgow Evening version) recently over David Murray’s instructions to his poodles to not mention Rangers fans sectarian and racist, or to tone it down somewhat?
May 26, 2009 at 8:20 am
charlie
So let me get this straight, The simpleton who was mocking the planes crashing into the twin towers, was not mocking American international Claudi Reyna as he walked towards him to take a corner kick,
He was in your opinion copying a goal celebration used by the fantastic footballer henrik Larrson.
How naive of me
May 22, 2009 at 8:58 am
Ryan
Charlie,
Yes he has, and yes he was.
May 19, 2009 at 4:23 am
charlie
Ryan , The one solitary eejit was also joined by other who displayed the flag of the INLA, althought they mainly killed each other they are still a terrorist organisation. The eejit you refer too has not had his address printed in the tabloids, OMG, now the eejit who ridiculed Claudio Reyna was copying Henrik, and was soft in the head,
May 18, 2009 at 6:57 am
Ryan
Yes, the full songbook was out in full force. No surprises there.
But what do the media focus all their energies on? Yes, one solitary eejit in the Celtic end waving a tricolour with IRA written rather crudely on it in black ink. Apparently, this deluded fool has now had his details (home address, supporter’s club, etc.) published in various rags! He is getting the same treatment as the chap who was supposedly directing aeroplane gestures at Rangers’ former American star, Claudio Reyna. The very same chap who it turns out had the mental age of a 10 year-old child and who was actually imitating the trademark Henrik Larsson aeroplane arms goal celebration!
Yep, this is the very same media who some sad deluded Rangers fans claim to have an agenda against their beloved institution and are blatantly pro-Celtic!
Delusion dooesn’t even begin to cover it.
May 12, 2009 at 11:18 am
paul brady
Ryan (8th May)asks if Ged will be sitting in section where you apparently can’t hear. That’s part of the issue, selective deafness, but a more sinister aspect has been to meet any complaint with bluster and attempt to confound the situation by rebranding it a sectarian issue. That allows for an equalising of pressure and redistribution of blame across a spectrum of hues and thus avoids any scrutiny of behaviour against current FIFA/UEFA dictat. If Ged hears racist taunts then he needs to ensure his comments on it are answered relative to the issue.
May 8, 2009 at 8:39 am
Kevin D
I don’t think he’ll have a problem with 50,000+ doing it.
May 8, 2009 at 8:03 am
Ryan
Hmmmm,
Wonder if Ged will be sitting beside the SFA ‘observer’ in a section where apparently you can’t hear a thing that goes on.
May 8, 2009 at 4:04 am