An insult to Celtic supporters!

Watching the Macufe Cup clash between Royal AM and Kaizer Chiefs at the Free State stadium last Sunday afternoon was a heartbreaking reminder of what used to be! This is one match that used to see the whole of Free State and parts of the country stand still to admire the beauty of the Green and White, Bloemfontein Celtic, shirts flocking the stadium, singing their lungs out and creating an unbelievable and coordinated ‘chaos’ in the stands with no incidents reported at all.

A capacity crowd singing and dancing before, during and after the game, with not a single vuvuzela in sight. The players doing their thing on the field, much to the admiration and jubilation of the supporters. Gone are those days!

Everyone in the South African football fraternity always looked forward to the annual spectacle as it marked the end of the Mangaung African Culture Festival, but to say things have changed would be an understatement. For the first time since COVID-19 and the same Royal AM bought the Celtic franchise and relocated to KwaZulu Natal, football supporters were expected to continue to congregate at the stadium for this football match. As if nothing has changed, event organizers expected to have the stadium packed to capacity with an unbelievable atmosphere for the last event to pull the curtain on the 10-day festival, but it was not to be. Social media was abuzz with a number of passionate Celtic supporters planning to boycott the event and hold a picnic not far from the match venue rather than become part of the proceedings. Naturally, the move was met with mixed reactions as some believed it was uncalled for, while others understood where the frustration came from. Firstly, this match has always been associated with Celtic dating back to 1997 and it was to the people of Mangaung what Vodacom Challenge was to people of Gauteng. Secondly, Celtic supporters are still trying to come to terms with the demise of their favourite club and the fact that they suddenly found themselves homeless after giving everything they had to the team.

These are the same people who feel betrayed, lied to, disappointed, heartbroken and left in a lurch. They surely felt attending that game, with no connection to Mangaung in any way, was a spit on the Celtic legacy and a huge sign of disrespect to the club and those who paved the way, including the late Ntate Petrus Molemela, who gave all his life to this club. The fact of the matter is that we can’t see AM as Celtic in any way and people of Bloem shouldn’t be forced to see this team in the same light as before. AM is a completely different team and even if they play some of their home games in Bloemfontein, it won’t change the fact that they are not Celtic. What happened with Celtic will always remain a bone of contention and a heartbreak to the people of Mangaung. The way the whole process of the club’s status exchanging hands, promises that were made to keep the team in the city and government’s intervention that gave hope to the passionate supporters, only for everything to come down crashing, is not going to be forgiven and forgotten overnight.

If anything, the Macufe game brought a sad reminder and reality that things will never be the same in that part of the country. It also reversed a healing wound by removing the plaster abruptly and too soon. Based on that, it came as no surprise that the stadium wasn’t packed to capacity and that a number of Celtic supporters boycotted the game. It further came as no surprise that people were canvassing against attending the game and chose to rather go to a picnic. These are just unheard of when you talk about Celtic supporters. These are the people who embody what true support really means, as they are forever behind their team regardless of the results. They even support former players who visit them with their new clubs, instead of booing them, because they know that players come and go but the team remains, or so they thought! So you never imagine a day that Celtic supporters will be associated with anti-football campaigns or choosing a picnic over a football match. Truth be told, it is admirable that they chose to move away from the match venue and protest in absence rather than venting at the venue and stopping people from attending. Another act of exemplary behaviour from the Green and White gang because, by nature, we are a bunch that likes to protest actively and even our ‘peaceful’ protests always have weapons stashed somewhere, just in case. For we always prefer to have them and not need them than need them and not have them, so we are always ready for action.

So, hats off to Celtic supporters who decided against attending the game but respected other people’s right to attend and enjoy the game, safely. Those who chose to go didn’t have their safety compromised in any way, as it was business as usual. However, just because there were no incidents doesn’t mean everything was alright on the day. Sooner or later, the event organizers and the government need to find a solution to this before it gets out of hand. Either this remains a Mangaung event by roping both Chiefs and AM in, together with two other teams from the region, or just find a local replacement for Celtic, period! That way, the ‘culture’ continues and surely people would be more accepting and open to it rather than feeling like someone is spitting on Celtic’s legacy by wiping the club’s name completely out of the game that the people love so much. We need to spare a thought for these Celtic supporters and help wherever we can. Yes, it is well and good that they are keeping their name and have a team in the lower divisions with the hope of making it back to the elite league one day, but that’s a long-term project. Something has to give for these people to be roped back into the DStv Premiership because our football hasn’t been the same since their team’s demise. There’s a huge void left by Celtic’s disappearance and those who made promises to these people need to deliver.

To bring that game without any Celtic involvement was tantamount to spitting in their faces. It was an insult to Celtic supporters! While it is a good gesture from AM to even consider playing some of their home games in Bloemfontein, one is tempted to think it will not be enough. Having said that, one can only wait and see what will come of it because Celtic supporters know no other club than their favourite Green and White! They have not made peace, and one doubts they ever will, with losing their team. Until some intervention, like it was the case with Moroka Swallows recently, things will never be the same again in the Mangaung region, not just the in the Macufe Cup. It is doubtful even that AM will enjoy any form of support from Celtic supporters, as much as MaMkhize’s side is being genuine and thoughtful with their gesture, because things have not been the same for them since losing their team. You don’t ‘adopt’ Celtic supporters because they know only one home and their pride and dignity just won’t allow them to be associated with anyone else other than Siwelele. If we are to build brand and team loyalty, we have no choice but to respect them for that and even take a leaf out of their book. Celtic was more than just a football club to its people, it was and remains their lifestyle. For that to be taken away from them the way it did, they surely feel naked and robbed of their identity.

One hopes that a Good Samaritan will come from somewhere and intervene, so that Celtic can be revived and brought back to the elite league of South African football. That would go a long way in improving the country’s happiness index.