The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Police probe ‘sectarian’ vandalism at football pitch
JOHN THOMSON: Blue and red paint splattered at site named after Celtic legend
A football pitch named in honour of a Celtic legend has been vandalised in a seemingly sectarian attack.
The John Thomson 3G pitch in Cardenden was left splattered with blue and red paint in what has been branded a “mindless act”.
Locals said they were angry and disappointed but insisted the incident would not break their community spirit.
The facility at Wallsgreen Park is named after Cardenden’s most famous son, Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson who died in 1931 after an accident during an Old Firm match at Ibrox.
It was opened just four months ago by Celtic captain Scott Brown after 30 years of work by the community.
Cardenden councillor Linda Erskine said it was difficult to think of the attack as anything other than sectarian given the connotations of the red and blue paint.
“It’s really disappointing because I thought we were more mature than that,” she said.
“Cardenden is a great wee place and for years we’ve had the John Thomson Memorial Tournament for all primary schools across the area.”
The Labour councillor added: “I know folk are genuinely upset about this and it’s particularly distressing given the work and effort the John Thomson Memorial Committee have put in over the last 30-odd years.”
Committee secretary Mark Hood said the group had a long-standing relationship with the community and that the vandalism would not undermine the work they do.
“We’re obviously disappointed but we’re not going to let it distract us from our work,” he said.
Dave Roy, chairman of Cardenden community council and a member of the John Thomson Committee, added: “The actions of the vandals will not break the good community spirit we have in Cardenden.
“They have, in fact, impacted mainly on the people who the pitch was built for, our young people. Cardenden has a proud heritage in the field of football.
“We hope the community can pull together and identify who did this and ensure that legal action is taken against the perpetrators.”
This is not the first time vandals have trashed a memorial to John Thomson.
In 2011, his grave was daubed in blue paint the evening before a walk was due to take place from Glasgow to Fife to mark the 80th anniversary of his death.
Police are making inquiries into the full circumstances of the latest incident, which was reported on Tuesday.
They have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 101, quoting incident number 2216 of March 20.
Alternatively, a report can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Sickening vandalism of a community football pitch in Fife seems proof, were it needed, that the scourge of sectarianism is not just a west of Scotland problem. The memorial to tragic Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson appears to have been targeted by bigots who have poured red and blue paint on the pitch and hoarding.
It is not the first time. The nearby grave of the player, who died in an Old Firm game in 1931, was desecrated with blue paint in 2011.
It is an appalling thing to happen and all the more senseless — if it was a religious attack — because Thomson was a Protestant who represented the whole country when he played for the Scottish national team.
He was revered by his club’s fans and the community in which he grew up. His funeral was attended by 30,000 people.
The recent repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act which was designed, albeit poorly, to tackle hate crime around the game, reignited the debate about its links to racial intolerance and crime.
Much of the comment centred on the regional differences in attitude between east and west coasts.
While it is clearly more prevalent in and around Glasgow, there are pockets of ancient hatred everywhere in the country which need to be rooted out.
Tracking down those who have targeted a much-needed community asset created in memory of a beloved son of Fife is an ideal place to start.