THE ENEMY WITHIN COULD WRECK IT ALL
‘What we witnessed was a disgrace,’ says police federation chairman. ‘And it doesn’t do football any good, as a sport, in trying to encourage a softening of Covid controls’
THERE goes the moral argument, any wavering political support — and the goodwill of the very people responsible for keeping everyone safe. The next time someone in Scottish football raises the issue of fans returning to stadia, Sunday night’s awful scenes outside Celtic Park will be cited as one more reason to say no.
There is still a case for partially lifting a lockdown that has pushed so many clubs to the brink of insolvency. But one angry knot of Celtic supporters indulging in a moronic temper tantrum can only undermine t he SPFL’s carefully constructed plea for special treatment.
The breach of Covid guidelines in a tier-four area was bad enough; the angry mob put themselves and others at risk as soon as they started gathering.
But those fans who then targeted their own players before clashing with police, leaving two officers injured, will rightly face more serious charges. And those who oppose the very idea of supporters returning on match day are entitled to raise a simple point of order.
If football can’t persuade its ‘customers’ to obey basic publicorder laws, what chance do they have of getting 10,000 overexcited fans to abide by every single social- distancing and hygiene recommendation contained in t hose carefully- constructed proposals currently gathering dust at Holyrood?
David Hamilton, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, spoke for many yesterday as he reflected on the disgraceful scenes outside Celtic Park — and outlined the damage they could have done to the SPFL’s bid to get fans back to games.
‘What we witnessed last night was just shameful, absolutely shameful and a disgrace,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘It’s not needed, it’s not helpful — and it does not do football any good, as a sport, in trying to encourage a softening of controls.
‘It’s just unacceptable that police officers are stuck in the middle, again, having to confront this kind of behaviour and getting injured in the process.
‘The job is very difficult just now, anyway, because people are trying to look after themselves as well as the public. And the video footage shows a total disregard by people — who are in a tier-four area, remember — to social distancing. It was just madness that broke out last night.’
Hamilton, a qualified Public Order Commander, nonetheless expressed sympathy for clubs who have invested so much in putting together highly- detailed Covidsafe plans for restricted numbers of supporters.
‘I think what yesterday showed is that there is only so far the clubs can go,’ he said. ‘It comes down to the behaviour of fans. And why anyone thought that was an acceptable way to behave is just beyond me. We have not been asked specifically( by the government) about the return of fans.
‘The vast majority of football fans are sensible, mature and cautious. This is just a tiny minority of football fans. But that’s the kind of damage they can do to the sport. It’s just dreadful when you see things like that.’
There is, of course, an irony in the fact that Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has been deeply involved in building a thorough case for Scottish football being allowed to trade its way out of this crisis — by getting paying customers back through the turnstiles.
He’s not been alone, of course, with Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack particularly vocal on the subject of what continued isolation is doing to the mental health of those who live for their days attending football. At all levels of the game, people are working extremely hard to carve out even an inch of wiggle room for an industry in peril.
Data has been carefully sourced, compiled and presented. Tense meetings with patronisi ng politicians and immovable health officials have been endured in good faith.
Then s omething l i ke t hi s happens. What are f ootball’s representatives supposed to say to the Scottish Government now? That they can guarantee supporter compliance with Covid rules… as l ong as their team wins?
Hamilton said: ‘What people need to get over is this: No matter what your grievance or gripe, and nobody’s going to argue with you about that, there is still a set of rules.
‘No matter how justified you think you are in behaving that way, it’s not acceptable.
‘ These rules are there for a reason. And Covid-19 does not have any affiliation to a football club or a manager. It doesn’t have a view on that. People need to really show a bit of maturity and common sense on this issue.
‘Why on earth would people assemble in a crowd scenario to make their feelings known about the manager in that way, putting themselves at risk? On top of that, the situation very quickly became not just a public-health issue but a general disorder issue because of the behaviour of some.
‘They were ugly scenes and they don’t reflect well on Scottish football. These things are very dynamic. You just need one person to put on social media: “Let’s go…” — and it can happen.
‘It’s about how you handle it. It’s very difficult and, of course, you
have to balance the human-rights aspect of it as well.
‘ People have t he r i ght of assembly. But the answer comes down to individuals. I’m not aware of anything the club could have done that would have made any difference.
‘In general, it’s just down to fans to get it right. They’re letting themselves down.
‘We always approach policing games with the idea that people are there to enjoy themselves. It’s entertainment, so that’s our starting point. But you’re always aware that these things can escalate.
The post-match scenes yesterday, there was obviously some degree of anticipation and preparation (by the police), because we managed to get the vans in place to make a kind of protective cordon and get some fencing put up. But the reality is that it’s such an impassioned game, people sometimes get carried away. That seems to be what happened yesterday.’
There will be follow-ups to that loss of control, Police Scotland have promised. I ndividuals will face consequences for their actions.
But the higher price, one that can be measured in government i ntransigence and dwindling economic viability, is likely to be paid by all of Scottish football.
These rules are there for a reason... People need to show maturity and common sense on this issue