Outrage at Celtic FC’s silence over abuse of Israeli player
AN ANTI-RACISM watchdog has condemned the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and Celtic FC after they failed to take a stand over a torrent of antisemitism directed at the club’s Israeli midfielder, Nir Bitton, and his wife.
The Celtic player was subjected to vicious abuse after fans rounded on him following the club’s defeat to rivals Rangers. His wife received a message calling for her and her husband to be hanged.
The 29-year-old defender was branded a “dirty Jew bastard” and a “Zionist rat” in social media posts after the derby clash last Sunday.
Mr Bitton’s wife Bar shared a screen grab of one particularly venemous message, which said: “Here you ya cow, you and yer husband deserve tae be hung on the streets. F**k you and yer wains.”
Action Against Discrimination (AAD) said the failure of the SFA and Celtic to publicly condemn the abuse was “both deplorable and unacceptable”.
AAD chairman Jonathan Metliss said in a statement:
“We are surprised that both Celtic FC and the Scottish Football Association have failed to condemn this behaviour. Words cannot describe the abuse directed at both the player and his family in the aftermath of Saturday’s match.” Mr Bitton, who was born in Ashdod, southern Israel, has played for Celtic since 2013. He has previously spoken of his frustration at the abuse he receives from his club’s own fans because he is an Israeli.
Celtic has previously been disciplined by Uefa for related incidents, with fans regularly holding Palestinian flags aloft at matches.
Police launched an investigation in August 2016 after another Celtic fan said gassing was “too good” for the club’s Israeli midfielder.
Student Daniel Yahia also described Bitton as “a filthy Zionist rat” and claimed: “Zionists are subhuman.” One of Yahia’s friends, who called himself Pod ge Mu ll an, then suggested that Bitton should be “gassed”. Ya hi a replied :“Be too good for him mate. Expose him to the worst torture the Israeli Defence Force use son young Palestinian kids, see how much of a man he is then. Scumbag.” Mr Bitton was shown a red card on Sunday after he was judged to have denied a goal scoring opportunity when he brought down Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos in the 62nd minute of the crunch Premiership tie. The JC hasapproached Celtic for comment.