Are we REALLY in 2010? Can such ignorance possibly still exist in a modern, western society? Manchester United travel to Glasgow next week to face Rangers in a European Champions League match. Reports are now emerging that Uniteds young Mexican striker Javier Hernandez could be forced to abandon his practice of saying a pre match Catholic prayer. Deeply religious Hernandez kneels on the centre spot and prays before kick off in every game he starts in but it’s believed United boss Sir Alex Ferguson – himself a former Rangers player, will advise the 22 year old not carry out his normal ritual at Ibrox.
I really don’t know if this is just a hysterical media beat up or if there might be some skerrick of truth in the story but The People newspaper reported that “Rangers fans have already vowed on websites to target Hernandez if he goes through his normal routine and that will worry Ferguson, who is anxious for United’s visit to pass peacefully.
Rangers officials say there is no question of them banning Hernandez from his usual pre match routine which he started in his native Mexico. But he runs the risk of antagonising anti Catholic Rangers supporters if he is included in Ferguson’s line up when the teams meet at Ibrox. Hernandez has already played against Rangers in September at Old Trafford but Ferguson realises the atmosphere is far more volatile in Glasgow, notorious for religious sectarianism.”
In case some people have forgotten, this is nothing more and nothing less than a mere football match. What next, are Muslim players going to be abused by fans if they look at the heavens and thank Allah whenever they score a goal as they have so often done in the past? What is Monsieur Platini and Uefa going to do about it?
In the name of your God – whichever one you happen to believe in, GROW UP, otherwise go back into your pre historic caves.
Is there a place for religious intolerance in football?
Lothian,
It’s been far from proven that Neil Lennon uttered those words at the Rangers bench. Even lip-reading experts can’t prove it from dodgy youtube footage, but Rangers fans like yourself WANT to believe it to further justify you vile hatred of him. Why hasn’t anyone deployed the services of the lip-reading expert who proved beyond a doubt, and finally got him to admit it, that the then Rangers captain Lorenzo Amoruso was GUILTY of dishing out racist abuse to Victor Ikpeba of Borussia Dortmund in a Champion’s League game.
The banners displayed that you talk about were NOT “against the symbolic rememberance of the poppy” as you put it. They were protesting against the ENFORCED wearing of the poppy. Yes, they were using the freedom of speech that so many brave souls fought to give them the right to in order to protest. If you bothered to read the Green Brigade’s statement afterwards you would have realised they were / are not against any individuals wearing this symbol and remembering in their own quiet, solemn, dignified way. When it becomes a parade and spectacle at footbal games and on the x-factor you really have to question the motives behind it.
Yes, Celtic fans do sing of the IRA at (mainly) away games, NOT the same IRA who committed atrocities in places such as Warrington, Enniskillen and Omagh. Yes, they may have a romanticised view of ‘The Boys Of The Old Brigade’ and it may be slightly ill-informed and ignorant and (another debate altogether) may not be entirely at home in a football ground, but for you to imply that Celtic fans are rejoicing in the wholesale slaughter of latter-day splinter IRA activities is ill-founded and dangerous to say the least.
Helps to have an alternative perspective to your knee-jerk rants eh?
Notice how I have only defended Celtic and their fans from the points above and didn’t even have to mention Rangers or their fans at all?
Raqngers Fc is notorious for its virulent Anti-Catholisism
they refused to sign catholic players for over a century
missing out on Daniel Fergus Mcgrain the finest fullback ever in Scotland
a Rangers fan as a boy but wasnt signed by them as his name sounded to catholic snd irish,this is the mentality of Rangers,with regular chants of Fuck the Pope ,defacating in Spanish chapels and urinating on Catholic monuments whilst abroad,no doubt you mancunians remember the time they wrecked your city,they have also been fined by ueafa for sectarian singing and regularly chant about being up to there knees in Ctholic blood they want to wade in,a truly despicable club bigoted at its core,Scotlands Shame as they are reffered to quite rightly
Catholics who play for Rangers are worshipped by the Rangers fans. Yet if you are a Catholic and play for Rangers, celtic fans will say you are a traitor to your religion. They will threaten you and your family, smash up your home, blow up your car and write graffiti outside your house.
Yet Rangers fans are the bigots???
Do Rangers fans sing about killing Catholics? Yes they do.
Did they take over 100 years to appoint their first Catholic manager? Yes they did. How long did he last? 4 months.
How many decades did it take for them to sign a Catholic player? 8 or 9 was it?
They chant ‘We Are The People’ with either blind ignorance or arrogance; both traits are common to their ilk. (For those reading in who don’t know of this statement, ‘We Are The People’ effectively means ‘this is our country’, i.e GTF Catholics/Irish).
Then there is, of course, the legally-proven-to-be racist Famine Song that they still sing. Along with the Billy Boys, banned by UEFA but still sung, almost to a man, by the away support.
Of course, we get the ‘small minority’ bleating don’t we? That, people of Manchester, was the same ‘minority’ that ripped your city apart in 2008. For a ‘minority’ they don’t half sound like 40-odd thousand people chanting religious hatred at Ibrox during the gaps in a Tina Turner song.
Sure they’ve had Catholic players eventually, but if they think that was through choice then their blinkers are more like blindfolds. Here’s a question: isn’t it a little strange for a British club (and there’s not any club more ‘British’ than Rangers, whose home games look like a BNP rally) to have never signed a footballer from the Irish Republic? Sorry, other than the under-18 goalkeeper they signed in the summer as Brussels was asking some questions?
That they try to take the moral high ground with regards to the British Army then dare to slag Celtic fans for singing about the Irish Army (BOTH guilty of the murder of innocent children) merely highlights their stupidity. The fact that they don’t seem to know the difference between sectarian or bigoted songs and political songs emphasises it further.
Do yourself a favour, people of Manchester and the wider world. Log on to followfollow.com, THE most popular Ranger fansite. Sign up and have a look through some of the subjects such as ‘Hang Neil Lennon’ and ‘I’d Rather Have Cancer Than Be A Catholic’. This is the so-called ‘minority’. In their hate-filled cesspit. And in their thousands.
I cannot believe the comments on here from “insulted ” Rangers supporters.This is a club who was ALLOWED to practice discrimination in it’s signing policy for over 100 years… ( that’s NO CATHOLICS btw in case you’re from Mars)……and only changed it when it was affecting commercial issues at the Club.( sponsors didn’t want to know).Then I read about Catholic players and captains and managers ….Their first “modern” big signing was Judas “MO” Johnson and that was only done to humiliate Celtic.( Some ” tolerant ” Rangers fans burned their season tickets, publicly, in protest). As for Captains…Amaruso was asked to bless himself in the dressing room …but NEVER in public….and as for the Catholic manager….he didn’t last long…hounded out eventually.
Tony Vidmar got mentioned… he’s famous in Celtic folklore for being the only Rangers player ever seen blessing himself going onto the field…and that was at CELTIC PARK.
But the boy should beware…A Partick Thistle player ( I can’t remember his name) was booked at Firhill against Rangers…for BLESSING HIMSELF as he left the field…the SFA said it was an act of PROVOCATION !!
ONLY IN SCOTLAND…………….
All talk from rangers fans here, they’ll prove themselves for what they are next week when they boo Hernandez for simply being a catholic.
As ever, they are scotlands shame and will show this with another consistent performance of bigotry. they can talk all they want about pretending not to care, but actions speak louder than words. if there’s one thing you can be sure rangers fans take on principal, it’ll be their hatred of Catholics. see their 132 year non catholic sectarian policy and ongoing ban on signing Irish players.
The only thing they deserve credit for is being consistent.
United fan btw
Absolute drivel
Don’t let them fool you, they have a problem with the Catholic church but unfortunately for them they have had to accept players of the catholic religion recently, the same players who were told not to bless themselves on the pitch on front of the rangers supporters. Artur Boruc blesses himself at every game at the start of the first and second half, rangers supporters displayed a banner stating that his religion was hocus pocus and not welcome at ibrox.
There
You’re quite right mate. the heroic British army would never kill kids.
It wasnt a small minority of rangers fans that were singing about being up to their knees in feinian blood (a song banned by Uefa for religious bigotry) ro the racist famine song at Celtic Park a few weeks ago.
Remember these are the fans who complained to police about Artur Boruc blessing himself before an Old Firn game at Ibrox (which he did before every game he played home and away for Celtic), which resulted in him being cautioned for breach of the peace by the Procurator Fiscal! Add to this the reports than Rangers fans sat outside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona calling Catholic tourists visiting the site “fenian bastards” as they entered and left. Some may say it’d be against Hernandez’s best interests to go through with his pre-match prayer but if he decides against it the only winner is sectarianism, which is completely unacceptable in this day and age.
Oh dear the inevitable tsunami of hypocrisy has begun.
A club (and it’s support) founded with the primary objective of keeping good catholic boys away from Scottish Presbyterian soup kitchens, really should learn to hold a diplomatic silence rather than accuse others of religious intolerance. If Glasgow is sectarian, as claimed by the original newspaper article, look no further for an explanation why.
Lies and more lies from the green and grey hordes.
Boruc did NOT bless himself at every ground, he always chose Ibrox to do it, doing it so every Rangers fan could see it, even laughing at them.
He clearly did it to antagonize the Rangers fans, which is why he was warned by the police.
Everything Celtic fans say on here are lies, aimed at ingratiating themselves with the United support.
Every United supporter can rest asured: Hernandez will not be boo-ed if he chooses to bless himself, neither will every other player.
Enjoy watching Rangers in the Champions League timmy.
Yes, we hate all catholic players.
That is why Nacho Novo is such a hated person at Ibrox, right ?
FRANK YOU ARE A PLUM STIRRING UP TROUBLE JUST LIKE ALL THE ENGLISH MEDIA BEFORE A SCOTTISH/ENGLISH MATCH GET A GRIP AND PULL THE ARTICLE
P.S I HOPE MAN UTD GET HUMPED THERE NOT ALL THAT,SPENT FORCE
I find it funny how that lot said when the holie goalie blessed himself the only time he did it was at Ipox. I cant believe for one minute that these fans had watched every Celtic game when the holie goalie played.
I know our fans have issues but this mob offend everyone they come in contact with. When they won the Cup winners cup in Baca they destroyed the place and for some reason they have a thing for throwing stones at buses. The only British team to get fined for singing thier bile the list could go on and on.
This thing about a small minority is rubbish when you go to Ipox and hear 50000 singing up to their knees in fenian blood. You will hear for the first time what the Scottish media call a small minority of Rangers fans singing.
so jelle, why would artur boruc , blessing himself antgonise rangers fans, i think this question answers itself, don’t you ?.
nacho novo isnt a catholic jelley belly
You Bhoys are like flies round shite anything that can harm the Rangers and you scum will be there with all your bile.
Celtic supporters and lies they never relent. We are sick to death of you, we have no interest in you yet you insist on this petty point scoring game, it’s laughable.
Good luck to you with the witchhunt of the SFA who must go down as one of the worst corrupt organisations in the world if they managed to let wee Strachan win three titles.
Infact I think I will demand a refund on my membership fee as I just remembered they let you win 9 titles in a row also and who could forget the Gers run to the Uefa cup final where they let Celtic use the death of an ex-player to their advantage by postponing a game where all the Celtic ‘stars’ were either injured or banned. Pitty Tommy Burns didn’t get the same recognition.
That season also seen us play about 12 games in 22 days. Where were the corrupt SFA then? Why dont you all man up and realise that the whole of Scotland is laughing at you and put your pathetic conspiracy theories behind you? Oh thats right because your not winning anything.
I have read some pish in my time but this takes the biscuit.
Javier Hernandez can carry out whatever ritual he likes before the game at Ibrox. He will not be targeted by anyone because of his beliefs.
Sure the Rangers fans will create an atmosphere and there will be banter aimed at the players but surely this is what goes on in every match between players and supporters.
Centigram – we never complained to police about Artur Boruc blessing himself. We complained to police for the hand gestures and the two fingered salutes. Same as what Aberdeen, Hearts, Falkirk and Hibernian(celtic’s catholic cousins in Edinburgh) also did. So don’t give me any of your crap.
To read some of comments on here from celtic fans who disgraced themselves with their anti poppy banners last week is hypocrisy in the extreme. Was it not celtic fans who sang song about Nacho Novo being gunned down by a bullet from the IRA? Please Manchester Utd fans you should not listen to the rantings of our jealous rivals who are looking in from the European wilderness.
If it makes you feel any better, why don’t you give Hernandez on loan to Rangers for the rest of the season – I am sure he will enjoy being a hero at Ibrox instead of being just another player in your team?
You are most welcome at Ibrox and I hope you enjoy the game. That said, Rangers need to win, so I hope you don’t enjoy too much.
Frank Scicluna you are nothing but a shite stirrer, hope are you happy with your days work you lieing hack
Everyone knows that Rangers have a major sectarian problem.
Donald Findlay , a director had to resign a few years back after caught singing sectarian songs.
They are steeped in bigotry.
Fergie set to advise Javier Hernandez to ditch his pre-match Catholic prayer at Ibrox
Nov 14 2010 By Steve Bates, The People
Sorry Frank your not the hack that wrote the article, giving you too much credit.
But you did write to Uefa though hopping to get The Rangers into trouble.
Scicluna – What kind of name is that, certainly not English is it.
No Jack, my name is neither English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish! I suppose that makes me some kind of criminal in your mind. The fact that what I wrote was originally reported in The People was made very clear in my article. And what makes you think that I wrote to UEFA mate? As if they’re going to take notice of someone who does not have a British surname!
I cant wait to see how many Rangers fans come back to this website after the game to explain why this so called minority sounded like a full stadium singing this song as one.
I do think there are good Rangers fans who are in fact this small minority that dont sing these songs and cringe at the thought of being labelled one of the scum.
frank the fanny
scrub that a fanny is usefull i have celtic supporters do my cleaning
Total Lies
Name The Web Sites
You Are Nothing But A Scare-mongering Lier
How Can You Sleep At Night.
In response to the claims that Artur Boruc only blessed himself at Old Firm games in front of the Rangers supporters, I can assure you all that this is absolute nonsense. As a Celtic season ticket holder of many years, I watched Boruc bless himself at the start of every half in every game he played. It was his pre-match ritual and he only ever received abuse for it when we were playing at the shitpit (Ibrox)!
But what you should really be asking yourselves is this: If you’re all so laidback about religion these days, why did the sight of a catholic player blessing himself send your permarage soaring to frightening new levels?! Rangers supporters really are the scum of the earth and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to learn of sectarian abuse towards Hernandez should he decide to carry out his usual pre-match ritual!
Incidentally, I find absolutely hilarious the claims on here that Celtic supporters are obsessed with Rangers. Tell me this, Rangers supporters: How many songs do you have that make no mention of: (a) Catholics; (b) Fenians; (c) The Pope; or (d) Celtic?
good post Mark, you forgot about them taking Eggs Benedict off the menu in there restaurant, after the election of pope benedict.
Unbelievable article. Best comment i could find was let the lad come to ibrox on loan he can cross himself until his littel heart is content. Biggest non story and crap i have read Fergie knows better. Shota was a popular figre at ibrox. I dont know
Fuk the huns ! legitmate reasons for protesting the poppy on celtics jerseys but none what so ever for a man who is catholic , its not a minoity of fans at ipox its a majority of scotland , scotland is so anti catholic and anti irish . the whole of scotland portray us as paranoid , but its a way of sweeping things under the carpet . tal
Strange how the Rangers fans on here come back about Artur Boruc blessing himself….or other trivial crap…..
Not one sensible, defensive, comment, however, regarding… No Catholics signing policy……
No Rangers player allowed to bless themselves on the pitch…………
History of riots wherever they go…..
Continual singing of deeply offensive songs ( before you respond with IRA songs…I find them deeply offensive as well ..so shut it…)…..
Banning of Green Pepperamis at Ibrox….
Banning of Green straws at Ibrox……
£16:90 for ticket cost at Christmas bash….
The list is endless…
Anyway if someone can, sensibly defend, any of the foregoing…go ahead.
I won’t hold my breath.
ALLY Says:
November 17th, 2010 at 8:41 PM
scrub that a fanny is usefull i have celtic supporters do my cleaning ALLY
Is that because the Celtic Supporters in question are your parents? Or is it that you’re just a delusional fucktard that pretends to have cleaners, but is in reality an unemployable halfwit with the IQ of a piece an’ brown sauce?
_____________________________________
Bouncy Bear… I find it easier to believe that world peace can be achieved by the end of the week, than believing you have never belted out the songs of hate at Ibrox. Its very easy to take the moral highground and fain inteligence on the interweb. Unless of course you are the Bouncy Bear from the BBC 606 Forums, in which case I take back what I said previously as you are online during every Rangers match and therefor are not present to join in with the party songs and playful banter…
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Lothian Says:
November 17th, 2010 at 4:01 PM
Do your fans sing of the IRA on a weekly basis, the same IRA that blew a hole in Manchester and managed to kill innocent children – Check
I’d uncheck that one, young man. The foul IRA chants from the Green Brigade are only sung at the away venues. Don’t let facts get in the way of a good forum deflection.
_______________________________________
The facts are there for all to see. They do not need garnished by Celtic Fans, and they certainly can not be swept under the carpet, or deflected by the more literate Rangers fans on this forum. A simple search on the interweb will show that the scaremongering within the original article isn’t so far from the truth.
There isn’t smoke without fire afterall. Moving on…
I had no idea so many of the Chelsea infiltrators that instigated and participated in the Manchester riots lived in Glasgow! Every one of them…
Succulent Lamb and fine wine is more effective than any spin doctor. Just ask Sir David Murray. Just because it isn’t heavily reported in the Scottish Media doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and is a major problem.
Thank you for your time.
Unrepentant F. B.
xxx
Rab,
You say you have no interest in Celtic or Celtic fans. Why then do you have virtually no songs proclaiming your love for your own team, 99% of your songs profess your deep hatred of Catholics and your hatred of Celtic.
You speak of lies, yet never have I heard a single Rangers fan admit, as the Church of Scotland admitted that the real reason for the disgusting bigotry in Scotland was the anti Catholic hatred preached from the pulpits in the Church of Scotland. They have thankfully admitted it and are commendably trying to move on and repair the damage they caused. Why then can’t Rangers fans move on and sing songs of their love for Rangers and forget the songs of hatred?
Likewise I would love the Celtic away support to stop singing their songs regarding the IRA. Move on and stick to our many many songs of the love of our club.
As for the its only a minority rubbish, the football ground I have attended most in the home end is far and away at Celtic Park, but easily the second most attended home end in Scotland is at Ibrox and I am not talking once or twice, but hundreds of times, the vast majority of times Celtic were not playing but I have seen Dundee Hibs Thistle Hearts Dundee United etc etc and even some European teams ties as well. I have even been to Celtic Park to watch Rangers Hearts in a Scottish Cup semi, so please dont give me the its only a minority rubbish. I would be far closer to the truth to say that I was in the minority by not singing. In fact my Rangers supporting friend who was driving that night forgot that I was in the car as he gave a little sign to the Catholic Church as we drove past. And for the Rangers fans who peddle that line then complain about Celtic fans saying Rangers are sectarian are peddling lies is shameful.
I have also attended the home end and away ends in Edinburgh Aberdeen Motherwell and Kilmarnock and the absolute worst I have encountered was Motherwell then Tyncastle then Ibrox then Rugby Park. Although I am a born and bred Scot as are my parents grandparents and great grandparents, the hatred in this country makes me sick and ashamed. I have sat in the away ends in Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam and so on wearing my hoops with pride and never had a single problem. During some of the games I exchanged scarves with the home fans and they wore my Celtic scarf and I wore their Barca scarf for example during the games.
The hatred in Scotland makes me sick and ashamed to be a Scot and I no longer go to football. The rest of Scotland is moving on slowly, but moving on!
The SFA is a corrupt organisation that has robbed Scottish football of all credibility, eventually this will be proven beyond doubt.
Rab it was the O’Donnell family who asked for the postponement since Phil played for both teams and they just could not face it at that time.
I didnt check your stats on 12 games in 22 days, so will accept your figures, they are however, unremarkable and plenty of teams have had to do this or similar. None to my knowledge have had the national association try to run roughshod by extending the season to advantage one team and to try to reorganise the national cup final to advantage that same team. None had the national association come out in the press to advocate this gerrymandering and try to garner public support for it.
The SFA is a corrupt organisation that has already been caught withholding players registrations, so that new signings miss games, Scottish referees have been caught falsifying match reports and telling lies to team managers, their own supervisors and to the national media. The referee supremo has been caught furthering that lie and deception on national radio and been caught forwarding a sectarian email to approximately 20 of his friends, including other SFA employees and doing this from his official SFA email address. An SFA employee has put forward erroneous information ragarding the resignation of a referees assistant to try to deflect the blame on to Celtic fans by making up stories of threats to the official in question which he has officially denied. When the truth of the matter is actually that the referee tried to pass the buck on to him. How honest is that?
The SFA is totally corrupt and has zero credibility.
What started out as a commentary on Manchester Uniteds visit to Ibrox next week has turned into a Rangers-Celtic debate so it’s now best not to accept any further comments
I see the bheasts are doing what they do best here, ie lying.
I’ll start from the bottom up.
Bob – A lie by a bheast at the Scottish Sun
Mark Boyle – Rangers had no policy. Rangers HAVE had players who blessed themselves. How would you know if you didn’t attend matches. Shota Arveladze was one I can remember off the top of my head.
The banning of green pepperamis and straws is an urban myth.
The Green pepperamis are still there, and there never were green straws to ban. They’re black, like they always have been
The last statement by Frank is bizarre, as is the original article.
Many many European matches have seen many many players bless themselves at Ibrox, with not as much as a whimper from the home support.
As for the rants of the bheasts, I suggest reading the following two blogs
http://sweepingsince1888.blogspot.com/
http://ifyouknowtheirhistory.blogspot.com/
And you should know that the poppy protest banner was a tribute to the terrorist murder gang who blew your city to smithereens in 1996
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/James_Connolly
If you’ve got a short memory this is what the ba5tards did to your city.
http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/bomb1.jpg