Didier Agathe has shone a torch under the bonnet of the cute ‘Old Firm’ rivalry.
While the football authorities and media groups like to play up the so-called rivalry there is one area that they prefer to look away from. Religious poison.
As recently as Saturday the predictable chants of hatred came from the away support, the irony of having a team featuring a number of Catholics seemed lost as they indulged in their favoured songs knowing that no police action will be taken.
Outside of the Scottish bubble that sort of action is hard to understand, in no other country would a player be told not to bless himself for fear of upsetting his ‘supporters’.
The football is of little interest outside of Sky Sports but in France and elsewhere there is a morbid fascination for traditions that are miles out of sync with the civilised world.
Agathe summed things up neatly, telling So Foot: “We see grandparents come with their grandsons in opposition between Catholics and Protestants. We hear songs continuously against the Pope or the Virgin Mary, it is unhealthy and it exudes hatred.”
While there will be an element of playing to the gallery it is a recurring theme through the interview.
Later he had to explain the backlash he feared over becoming the only black player in the Scotland squad and a bizarre incident involving a journalist and a curry!
With 11 arrests announced from Saturday’s derby match perhaps the authorities should delve a little deeper before patting themselves on the back and awarding bonuses for preventing the poison spilling over.
