I know this and you know this and for some strange reason the national anthems are not included in the "illicit" ruling so fans can belt them out all they want.
We both - and the majority of Celtic supports I presume - know that the songs like the ones I mentioned are not glorifying sectarianism, bigotry, hate etc but because people will find them offensive we will get done because of the rulings. As soon as a lot of people hear anything to do with IRA they immediately think of groups like the PIRA & the RIRA and not what the songs are actually about BECAUSE they don't know either because they are ignorant, misinformed or just don't want to know.
It was found out that the chant that got the club fined was the "Oh Ah Up The RA" and not the songs like Boys Of The Old Brigade etc. I think it's a very easy thing to change and the thing is if add-on's like that are not changed/stopped then we will get fined again.
I don't have any problem with fans singing the political songs about the Republicanism etc but for the sake of the club getting into more trouble the add-on's like "Oh Ah Up The RA" need to stop. If they don't then we become as bad as that lot with them thinking that it's ok to sing their Billy Boys ****.
The thing is it will give the club a bad name, tarnish the reputation and probably in the end mean less profits because if it continues games will be played behind closed doors or fans will be banned from attending games.
Like I said above, we know that the songs are not illegal but the chanting of things like "Oh Ah Up The RA" is considered "illicit" in UEFA's rulings and whether they are ignorant to the facts or not we have to abide by the rulings.
The club are not asking to stop songs like A Soldier's Song, Boys Of The Old Brigade, Fields Of Athenry etc. They are asking that the add-on's like the Up The RA one and the PI PI PIRA one (which granted was only chanted at the Hearts game back in May I think it was and for the first time in years by what I have heard) be stopped. The board have asked for the chants to be stopped as well as Neil Lennon himself. Even the great Jock Stein when he was in charge asked the fans not to chant/sing the kind of things that are getting chanted now.
If we don't stop them then, again like I say, the fines will happen again until we are punished more severely.
The times have changed within the space of 8 years since the UEFA & FIFA fans awards for Fair Play but were these awards not given because of the behaviour of the fans at the Cup Final (and throughout) - not because of a songsheet.
Unless we change with the times and drop the add-on's we will continue to get fined and eventually be hammered like the manky lot.
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2 Rangers penalties, big Fraser forster to save both and celtic win the game 2-0 against the huns. What a christma present that would be.
