Matthew Lindsay Stupid, irresponsible and dangerous... Covidiocy at Ibrox could cost Scottish game dearly
NOT since HMS Hermes returned to Portsmouth docks after the Falklands conflict in 1982 has there been such a mass display of tearful triumphalism and Union Jack-waving.
It took Rangers manager Steven Gerrard some considerable time to edge his way through the raucous red, white and blue-clad crowds as he arrived at Ibrox before the St Mirren game on Saturday.
Scarves were thrown on to the front of his vehicle, songs were chanted and smoke bombs set off as police struggled to keep the ecstatic mob at bay.
The gatherings on Edmiston Drive and the surrounding areas illustrated just how much the imminent Premiership triumph meant to the long-suffering followers of Rangers after 10 years of hurt, humiliation and hardship.
So did the fireworks displays which were held across the city and further afield long after the comfortable 3-0 triumph over St Mirren had taken the Glasgow club to within a point of glory.
When Rangers were finally crowned champions yesterday – after their nearest challengers Celtic had been held to a 0-0 draw by Dundee United at Tannadice – there was much more of the same.
This monumental victory has been a long, long time coming and those who have follow followed the Govan giants through thick and thin were clearly intent on savouring every single second of it.
But the scenes have been hugely unfortunate, highly irresponsible and potentially dangerous. They also promise to have dire ramifications for Scottish football.
The fans who have thronged together in large numbers have shown a flagrant disregard for Covid19 social distancing restrictions and endangered lives as a result of their idiocy.
It is to be hoped that none of them, and the loved ones they have subsequently come in to close contact with, test positive for coronavirus in the days and weeks to come. God forbid there are any fatalities as a result of the ill-advised celebrations.
As infection rates fall as a result of the latest lockdown and the country finally edges back towards some sort of normality, there is a chance that supporters will be allowed back inside grounds sooner rather than later.
But events in Govan and elsewhere at the weekend, which have all featured prominently on social media websites, television and radio news bulletins as well as the front and back pages of papers, will do nothing to help Scottish football’s cause.
That was certainly true when Celtic fans gathered outside Parkhead to call for Neil Lennon to be sacked as manager on more than one occasion following disappointing results at the end of last year.
Jim Goodwin, the St Mirren manager, described the festivities on Saturday as good natured, which they were. He also stated that he could understand why Rangers fans had gathered. To a degree, you could.
Having to watch their heroes steamroller their way to their first Scottish title since 2011 on television at home hasn’t been easy. They have endured a dreadful decade. What we have witnessed has been an outpouring of joy. But we are, it has to be remembered, in the midst of a global pandemic which has claimed the lives of millions around the world.
Are First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her government going to look favourably on the sport and agree to throw open the turnstiles again following the indefensible actions of so many after a league win?
She has spoken of her disappointment and frustration at Scottish football on many occasions following frequent high-profile breaches of guidelines.
Just last month she despaired when it emerged that five Rangers players had been fined by Police Scotland after flouting lockdown protocols and attending an illegal gathering in Hyndland.
Sturgeon took to Twitter yesterday and, after congratulating Rangers on their league win, implored those who had left their homes to consider the implications of what they were doing.
“Gathering in crowds just now risks lives and could delay exit from lockdown for everyone else,” she wrote. “If those gathering care at all about the safety of others and the country, they will go home.”
What will her reaction be when the SFA and SPFL next approach her to ask if members of the public can be allowed back inside grounds to cheer on their teams? She is unlikely to be particularly understanding of the financial plight of their member clubs.
What, too, will the repercussions be ahead of the Euro 2020 finals? UEFA want to receive assurances by April 7 that the stadiums in the 12 host cities will be 20 to 30 per cent full when the delayed tournament kicks off this summer. If those are not forthcoming from the SFA, then Hampden, Glasgow and Scotland risk losing out. Sturgeon said on Friday she was “absolutely intent”on making it happen. But the climate has changed dramatically since.
National Clinical Director Jason Leitch expressed his concerns about what European football’s governing body will think of the Rangers fans’ impromptu title parties.
“UEFA will be looking on,” he said. “UEFA are talking to us just now about fans, safety, about all the things we need to do to get crowds in the Euros. It’s not a good look.” Rangers fans shouldn’t count on being back inside Ibrox at any stage in the near future.