Silent shame of BBC Scotland
While many newspapers, broadcasters and websites covered the story the state funded broadcaster seems to have taken a vow of silence.
The match against Hibs was broadcast live on Radio Scotland with The Billy Boys heard clearly in each half. In 2006 under instruction from UEFA the SFA banned the song which glorifies the killing of catholics with the line ‘we’re upto our knees in Fenian blood surrender or you’ll die’.
Since 2006 the song has been sung regularly at other football grounds, most notably at Hampden, but not in the numbers that joined in at Ibrox on Monday. With 33,000 season ticket holders identifying those involved shouldn’t prove too difficult.
Social media was quickly on the issue with video clips from Hibs fans and BT Sport viewers circulating on twitter and facebook to highlight the matter.
On Monday night Reporting Scotland covered the match with a reporter outside the ground picking up the ‘atmosphere’ as well as showing goal highlights without any mention of the hate song.
After being contacted by the Press Association a statement was released by an un-named SPFL official that they were waiting to read the report of the match delegate before deciding if action should be taken.
Once PA put the story out it was picked up by most news organisations- except the BBC. Visitors to the BBC website can read, watch and listen to the glory of the win over Hibs, pick up the thoughts of Martyn Waghorn and Mark Warburton and even how the company that runs the club has repaid £5m to Mike Ashley.
But there is no mention of The Billy Boys being sung or the possibility of an SPFL investigation.
At the start of the season the BBC did report on Sevco fans being arrested at Easter Road for anti-catholic singing during the Petrofac Cup tie with Hibs.
The upshot of that was the withdrawl of media facilities for Chris McLaughlin which triggered a brief stand-off between the broadcaster and the football company.
After a few meetings, no doubt involving former BBC pundit James Traynor, normal service was resumed with the BBC showing live coverage of League Cup and Petrofac Cup ties.
Announcing the agreement Sevco stated: “FOLLOWING a meeting with the BBC the media privileges of Chris McLaughlin have been reinstated.
“Rangers has received assurances from the BBC that their reporting of Rangers; affairs will be balanced.”
It seems that the word balanced has been replaced by neutered or ‘under instruction’ with the BBC backing out of covering thousands of supporters singing about their hatred of catholics over the airwaves of the state broadcaster.