Gazza reflects on the night he angered Walter
Neil Lennon expects UEFA’s fan ban on Rangers to have zero impact on the treatment he receives from sections of the Light Blues support at Ibrox today.
In a clear message to the SFA and SPFL, the Celtic manager said he felt it “embarrassing” that it took an outside agency to tackle the issue of sectarianism and racism in the Scottish game.
Rangers had to close off 3,000 seats for their Europa League tie with Legia Warsaw after the European body ruled some of their fans were guilty of “racist behaviour” – specifically sectarian chants – in an earlier tie against St Joseph’s.
The Govan club have been similarly sanctioned for their first home game in the group stage – against Feyenoord on September 19 – following sectarian singing during the first leg of the play-off with Legia in Poland.
Yet while Rangers have made strong, unequivocal statements condemning the behaviour – and announced they won’t take tickets for their next European away tie against Young Boys in Berne on October 3 – Lennon does not believe the debate will change supporter behaviour in the derby.
Asked whether the fixture still has the potential to bring out the sectarian element, the Celtic boss replied: “Yes.”
He went on: “It has always been that way. It was ever thus so I can’t imagine that changing overnight or in three or four days.
“You would like the pleas for sanity and moderation of language to have an impact.
“Insult me if you like – but don’t do so with sectarian language because I take offence to the latter.
“You don’t want it sanitised completely, either, but you want to strike a balance of there being a red-hot atmosphere without all the vitriol.”
Lennon has been a lightning rod for abuse since he first started working in Scottish football, with several incidents in which he has been the victim ending up in the courts.
In addition, while grateful to the legal system, he is less impressed by the fact the current scrutiny is coming not from Scottish football’s ruling bodies, the SFA and SPFL, but UEFA. “It is embarrassing,” he said. “Sometimes people turn a blind eye to it or go: ‘Ach it is only him, he can deal with it’. But at the end of the day, we are all human beings.
“I think Rangers put a statement out after Steve Clarke got the abuse, but there was none forthcoming for me over the years.
“I find that interesting as well.
“I don’t know if this will embarrass anyone into dealing with it.
“I don’t have all the answers.
“I’ve been saying this for quite a while, and I even said it when I was at Hibs last season.
“But it’s out of my jurisdiction.
“I’ve a big game to navigate, a team to look after, and a responsibility to that team. So I’m not getting involved in debates about what’s right or what’s wrong on the terraces or away from the game.”
Talk of Rangers’ improvement this season brings out a similarly bullish reaction from the Celtic manager.
“Are they better? It’s hard to say,” Lennon continued. “Their results have been excellent, they’re playing with a confidence. But it remains to be seen.
“We’ll have a fair idea after Sunday, I suppose.
“But people are talking about Rangers improving, no one’s talking about Celtic improving.
“We’ve scored 40 goals this season already. “We went and scored four away from home away in Europe the other night for the first time in a long time, and people have sort of taken it for granted.
“Our form is sort of getting overlooked a bit, and I don’t know why.”
One possibility is the failure to reach the group stages of the Champions League.
The 4-3 home defeat to Cluj, who the club will now meet in the Europa League group stage, prompted a storm of criticism, much of it targeted at Lennon himself for a team selection that had midfielder Callum McGregor deployed at left-back.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Lennon countered. “I think the criticism was a sign of the times. That is just the environment and the atmosphere you work in in Glasgow.
“You can either stick your head under the table, or just get on with it.
“I have just got on with it, and we have won our last four games since Cluj.
“I can understand why neutrals would want to see a changing of the guard
“But the last eight years have been great for Celtic and we want to continue in the same vein – with the chance to get nine an obvious incentive.”