Celtic finally appear to have discovered their backbone with a response to the barrage of smears, attacks and abuse that they have been under in the 48 hours following the Glasgow derby.
A claim backed by absolutely no evidence was made about supporters making racist comments/chants at Alfredo Morelos has provided the ammunition for many media outlets and pundits to condemn the club. Again without any supporting evidence on Morelos’ fifth appearance at Celtic Park.
In mid-afternoon the SFA joined in the attack when they offered Ryan Christie a two match suspension for an identical incident to one that Morelos escaped punishment from for a year ago.
That seemed to be a step too far with a Celtic spokesman commenting to the The Glasgow (Evening) Times rather than using the club’s own media platforms.
A Celtic spokesperson said: “We are absolutely astonished at this decision. Clearly we will defend Ryan vigorously.”
Meanwhile, Celtic also released a statement yesterday regarding the conduct of Rangers supporters at Celtic Park on Sunday as the tit-for-tat continued between the Glasgow clubs.
Rangers released their own statement on Monday accusing Celtic fans of racially abusing Morelos, and Celtic have now hit back, with the club understood to be angry about chants from the away section relating to striker Leigh Griffiths’ mental health, the Lisbon Lions and child abuse.
The statement read: “We are aware of a number of incidents from Sunday’s match including Celtic supporters being targeted with missiles from the away support, something which has unfortunately happened on numerous occasions previously.
“We are also aware of a number of other unsavoury incidents involving the away support, including sickening chants directed at our players and supporters. However, as we always do, Celtic will deal with these and all other incidents responsibly and in a dignified and professional manner and in a way which protects the greater good of the game.”
It remains to be seen if Celtic back up the words above with action or whether it will just be used to crank up the marketing of their next Old Firm clash.
A year ago the club issued a statement demanding an explanation and transparency following John Beaton’s lenient display at Ibrox. At last month’s Celtic AGM Peter Lawwell revealed that the issue had been settled in private with the SFA.
In September 2017 the SFA referred the issue of the 2011 UEFA licence to their Compliance Officer, 27 months later no decision has been made.
