Faced with the serious issue of racism last night Radio Scotland and Radio Clyde both failed miserably to tackle the problem in a mature manner.
When you call on Hugh Keevins and Charlie Adam to share their expert views you know what to expect. While Kenny MacIntyre nodded on in agreement with Adam ensuring that two clubs are equally at fault Gordon Duncan on Clyde took Keevins to task as the veteran hack got misty eyed about the free-living days of the sixties.
That was the generation of Civil Rights. Of Martin Luther King and South African apartheid. Closer to home Rangers Football Club (in Liquidation) operated a No Catholics signing policy that the Scottish media were happy to keep quiet about, possibly because they employed very similar but less public policies.
Keevins was one of the few from a Catholic background to make it through, from DC Thompson to The Scotsman then onto a larger audience with Radio Clyde.
In July 1989 he reported on Maurice Johnston signing for Rangers (IL), soon after Davie Cooper left the club. In 2006 UEFA stepped in to ban one song very popular with Ibrox fans, neither the SFA, SPL or SFL had ever taken any action about that song.
Despite all this background Keevins believes that we currently live in more divisive times, racism appears to be a recent phenomenon. Fortunately, Duncan was able to challenge those views, typically Keevins doubled down when given the chance to dig himself out.
Over on Radio Scotland Adam decided to open up on his decade long hell over a song sung about his sister’s underwear. The timing is significant.
Absolutely it was the right time. What was said about Kyogo was disgusting but I won’t accept my family members being abused they way it happened at Celtic park and yesterday’s match. I can take the abuse but I’ll stand by my family members not listening to it.
— Charlie Adam (@Charlie26Adam) August 23, 2021
The Dundee midfielder revealed the hurt he had suffered two weeks earlier against Celtic but he had kept quiet about it during his multiple media appearances.
With the focus on Ibrox racists Adam had to speak out. With Mark Hateley, Chris Burke, Richard Foster, Billy Dodds, Neil McCann, Derek Ferguson and Steven Thompson on their regular rota only the editorial team at Sportsound will know why they called in Adam to discuss the racist abuse of Kyogo.
In 2019 UEFA twice closed sections of Ibrox for Europa League matches due to racist incidents.
Context https://t.co/CQDHgXIUwd pic.twitter.com/DGPAhxolKd
— Tam sellic son (@TamsellicsonIII) August 23, 2021
https://t.co/0mpnNJ10G9 pic.twitter.com/1vZQNSOByq
— Tam sellic son (@TamsellicsonIII) August 23, 2021
I honestly can’t believe what I’ve just heard @shinjukushug saying on @ClydeSSB. Along with Charlie Adam on @BBCSportsound, is there a country with a more amateur bunch in the media when it comes to Football ?
Fans deserve better than this bunch.— Scott? (@Mackay1981) August 24, 2021
Absolutely! Sportsound and Super Scoreboard were completely incapable of having the conversations they tried to have yesterday. At least Keevins was challenged but it was miserable stuff
— Ryan (@UpperDunmore) August 24, 2021
Keevins saying racism didn’t exist 60 years ago on Clyde, Charlie Adam making a complete tit of himself on the BBC.
Actually mental that it took fan media so long to become a thing.
— Graeme McKay (@gmakaay) August 23, 2021
