Neil Doncaster has broken his silence over the incidents at Ibrox on Sunday to provide The Times with a bland deflection statement that makes no reference to the specifics of the game at Ibrox.Â
In front of the biggest television audience of the season viewers had to wait five minutes for the second half to start as glass was cleared from Joe Hart’s goal-mouth. It seemed that none of the stewards or groundstaff noticed the glass with Celtic keeper having to inform the match referee.Â
When Jota took a second half corner a bottle/object was thrown at him with a similar incident after the final whistle as the Celtic players acknowledged 700 visiting fans.Â
Worse of all and outwith range of the Sky Sports cameras a member of Celtic’s medical team required stitched to a head wound after being hit with a glass bottle at half time.Â
No apology has been offered by the home club to those affected with Doncaster not offering any sympathy to the physio who returned home from work with stitches in his head.Â
The SPFL CEO told The Times:Â
Strict liability simply does not work, as the repeated fines for specific clubs in Uefa competitions season after season demonstrate very clearly.Â
The answer must be far harsher and targeted punishments for the individuals who perpetrate the crime, including a more regular use of football banning orders and, where necessary, custodial sentences.Â
There are two main forms of strict liability which have been proposed and neither of them will work.Â
The first is to punish the home club for any transgressions in their ground, whether it’s by the away fans or home fans.Â
Unfortunately, this will act as an incentive for some away fans to misbehave, knowing the home clubs will suffer the punishment for their actions.Â
It will inevitably result in clubs refusing to sell tickets to away fans, with the obvious detrimental impact on our game.Â
The second is to make clubs strictly liable for the behaviour of their fans at away matches and this will simply lead to clubs refusing to sell their fans tickets for other grounds, for fear of being punished if they misbehave.Â
The significant investment by clubs in CCTV technology means it’s far easier to spot and act on incidents caused by the tiny minority of fans who misbehave.Â
Clubs, footballing authorities and the overwhelming majority of decent fans abhor the actions of those who engage in criminal acts at games.Â
It’s only by targeting these individuals directly and punishing them to the full extent of the law that we will provide a meaningful and effective deterrent.Â
Celtic haven’t made any official statement about Sunday’s incidents, the two clubs are expected to meet again at Celtic Park later this month.Â
Is there any point in Celtic saying anything when Doncaster comes out with this pish their bigoted fans run Scottish football sfa/spfl totally afraid of this shameless scum outfit.
Uefa fines haven’t stopped them, true. SFA/SPFL haven’t done anything at all apart from this pathetic buck passing, negating their responsibility for any action at all. SFA/SPFL are cowards and are part of the problem for allowing this continuous bigotry and violence. Guilty of doing nothing
So SFA/SPFL start fining, start ground closures, increase the sanctions, ground closure to fans for longer periods of time, deduct points, do something or else your not fit for purpose.
Celtic should be looking to remove the SPFL and replace it with a more independent body.
Still feeling just CHAMPION
From this article it seems Doncaster is blaming the Celtic fans for the incidents.
Oh dear severely BRUSHED under the carpet by the so called football authorities and the media and that includes nationwide what a disgrace.
Usual cop out from Doncaster and his mob at the SPFL. They are not fit for any purpose.
Doncaster washing his hands and rejecting any responsibility on the SPFL to act and putting everything back in the club / courts hands. Terrified of taking any action against the club from Ibrox. What a snivelling coward this man is.
Close their ground for all home matches until the end of the season .
And limited attendance to all away games at 500 registered supporters .
Mr Doncaster is a coward whits he scared of mr parks at liebrox remember Doncaster giving a interview saying parks threating him so thats why Doncaster will do nothing to punish there club and i hope it gets worse if the spfl our the corrupt sfa do nothing to they rats at liebrox because they will get own way and start smashing everything in front of them because they know they will get away with it maybe they might smash hampden up we never know and if so Doncaster i hope ur their to stop it ya coward bastards at sfa and spfl..
They’re the only fans who have invaded the pitch after losing a cup final at Hampden and have done so on three occasions post 2nd world war. Last year they trashed Glasgow’s George Square twice this year fought between themselves and fought police in the centre of Glasgow. Also last year they marched through Glasgow singing a racist song escorted by Police Scotland.
I don’t know how many other towns and cities in Europe they have trashed over the years
. That is how they got the nickname in the 1960’s the Huns, when a well known late journalist called Ian Archer likened them to the Hun tribe who marauded throughout Europe around 1500 years ago.
The problem is the Football authorities, the Police and the Media lump them in with all Scottish football fans when we all know that the biggest thuggish problem in football belongs at Ibrox.