Reuters Celtic fans before the away match against Lazio on November 28
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 06:14
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Mereyn Geskus
editor NOS Sport
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Mereyn Geskus
editor NOS Sport
It is regularly preached that sports and politics should remain separate. Fans of Feyenoord opponent Celtic are not from this school. This was evident on October 25 in the Scottish club’s stadium. Before and during the home match against Atlético Madrid, hundreds of Palestinian flags were waved.
“The Celtic supporters are very anti-establishment,” says correspondent Arjen van der Horst. Van der Horst, who lives in Ireland, explains that this is due to the club’s Irish connection. “The Irish famine caused by the potato blight in the mid-nineteenth century caused millions of Irish to flee. They left for America, Australia and Scotland, for example.”
In Glasgow, the Irish priest Brother Walfrid founded Celtic in 1887. Intended to provide relaxation to the poor residents of the Parkhead area. Celtic became the club of the Catholics and the Irish. Since then, the club’s supporters have never let go of the history of its origins.
‘Green and white is in the blood of Celtic supporters’
“But it only became really political since The Troubles emerged,” says Van der Horst, who works in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Troubles is the nationalist conflict that began in the 1960s and continued well into the 1990s.
These were years in which a civil war raged between Catholic paramilitia such as the IRA on the one hand and Protestant paramilitary groups and British forces on the other. However, it was a conflict that transcended faith. The Catholic republicans had little interest in the United Kingdom and fought for reunification with the Irish republic.
Celtic – Feyenoord at NOS
The match in Glasgow starts on Wednesday at 9 p.m. and can be followed in a live blog in the NOS app and on NOS.nl. The match can be followed on the radio via flashes on NPO Radio 1 and from 8 p.m Along the Line and Surrounding Areas.
A short summary of the competition can be seen in the late Journaal on NPO 1.
Van der Horst says that supporters are very much against the established order because of The Troubles. “And there is sometimes quite a grim edge to it.” For example, last September the most fanatical Celtic supporters refused to applaud the recently deceased British Queen Elizabeth II and anti-monarchist songs were sung.
According to him, the pro-Palestinian expressions also come from here. “The supporters are resisting what they see as the colonial occupying power.” Something can be traced back to the club’s Irish origins, because support for the Palestinian cause has also traditionally been strong in Ireland.
GettySupporters of Celtic turn against the British royal family
“This sentiment is widely shared among Celtic supporters,” the correspondent said. This was during the match against Atlético, when Palestinian flags were displayed throughout the stadium. It resulted in Celtic being fined almost 18 thousand euros by UEFA.
“It is only the most fanatical supporters who take more violent actions. The rest generally keep a low profile.” He’s referring to the Green BrigadeCeltic’s ultra group, which consists of approximately 1,000 supporters.
These fans sometimes embarrass the Celtic board. At the end of October it was announced that 267 of the most fanatical supporters are no longer welcome in the stadium. According to the club, this is also related to other misconduct.
‘Unacceptable’
Celtic spoke out clearly after the Green Brigade displayed Palestinian flags en masse. The action was described as ‘completely unacceptablelabeled.”
Former Israeli player Nir Bitton, who played more than 250 games for Celtic, also responded to the flags and banners in the stadium earlier in October. On Instagram, he called the actions “embarrassing” and said the responsible and “brainwashed” supporters should be ashamed.
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Instagram/Nir Bitton
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Instagram/Nir Bitton
There is currently one Israeli player in the selection: Liel Abada. However, he has been injured since early September and has therefore not played since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel. Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers told Sky Sports in October that Abada has the full support of the club and its supporters.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who played for Celtic from 2006 to the summer of 2009, previously told NOS that the club is the first love for many people. “Next to their wife.”
He played several times in the city derby against Rangers FC (until 2012 Glasgow Rangers), the Protestant club. “The matches were sometimes not worth watching, but the atmosphere was always there. It is something you have to experience. It is indescribable.”
It is also the match where obscene gestures, swearing and fights were not a rarity. Yet Celtic supporters abroad generally have a good reputation.
ANPJan Vennegoor of Hesselink after a goal for Celtic in 2007
For example, the fans received the Fair Play Award from FIFA in 2003, because a true popular celebration broke out after the UEFA Cup final in Seville against FC Porto (2-3).
The memories of Vennegoor or Hesselink are sweet. “They often travel to away games in thousands. They come everywhere. They remind you of that one goal at that one moment. They never forget anything. They are very grateful.”
Van der Horst says that the club has loyal fans all over the world. “From Dublin to New York.”
2023-12-13 05:14:23
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