Celtic banning the Green Brigade from Parkhead was a controversial move by the club.
Celtic released a statement last week detailing how the Green Brigade allegedly ‘rescued’ a member from being arrested for assaulting a police officer and a steward prior to the Bhoys beating Falkirk.
The Green Brigade hit back at Celtic claiming that the club were being ‘disingenuous’ with their claim and say the Parkhead board activated the ban to calm down the protests about how the club is being run.
The Celtic Ultras also published a damning email trail where they were in dialogue with Celtic about security concerns at home games and, it appears, the club completely ignored them.
Reacting to the ban, Simon Jordan sends Celtic a message as Jim White makes a weird allegation about the Ultras group as an explanation for the ban.
Photo by BO AMSTRUP/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty ImagesSimon Jordan asks Celtic why they haven’t banned the Green Brigade
Jordan was asked by White about the Green Brigade issue and the question was raised by the talkSPORT presenter on whether or not the ban should have been stronger.
Jordan said on talkSPORT, “It depends on if it’s the same individuals within the confines of the Green Brigade, and obviously the Green Brigade are a group of people, whether it’s three or four hundred of them, I don’t quite know.
“I think it seems like it’s about 300 of them. How important are they to the football club? They’re the Ultra mentality, aren’t they? To some extent, how important are they to the football club? How bad is their behaviour?
“How many individuals are doing repeat behaviour, rather than a different group of people, under the auspice of the banner of the Green Brigade, because if it’s the same people in the Green Brigade in a group of people that identify under a particular moniker with a particular thought process and a particular level and way of communicating it. But if it’s different people within it, it’s difficult to suggest that you just ban this entire group.”
Jim White’s claim about Celtic Ultras as Jordan asks ‘why tolerate’ them
As the conversation continued, Jordan then asks Celtic why would they put up with the Green Brigade if they are so troublesome?
Jordan continued, “Because my first default setting is, why would you put up with it?”
And this is where White makes a strange accusation about the Celtic fan group.
Jim White: “Well, they’ve done it before.”
Jordan: “But why would you put up with it? Why wouldn’t you just rid yourself of them? What’s so important about 260 fans in a stadium that holds 50 or 60,000? What’s the importance of it? Why would you tolerate it if they’re that unruly and that unpleasant and that difficult to contend with?
“Why don’t you just rid yourself of them by banning them for life?”
Martin Keown: “I think they’re trying to change their behaviour on this by giving them three games. So this takes them to the middle of December.”
White: “Who’s trying to change who’s behaviour?”
Keown: “Celtic. The club is trying to change the behaviour of some of their fans, some of their Ultras that are making these noises that they don’t want at the stadium. So they’re going to ban them for three games. So to ban them for life? Is that extreme, or will that be the next step?”
Jordan: “It depends on the list of offences. I mean, every time I see the mention of the Green Brigade, I don’t spend my time fixated on them, but every time I hear about them, it’s because they’ve caused some level of disharmony.
“And there’s nothing wrong with being disharmonious in terms of being a football supporter, because you’re entitled to voice your dissatisfaction, right?
“There is everything wrong with how it spills over into whether it’s physical abuse. Verbal abuse, I don’t want to make light of verbal abuse, but football has been predicated upon the culture of tribalism and jeopardy and hostility.
“It’s what exists around football stadiums. Whilst I don’t think it’s wonderful, it is part of the culture of football. So we’ve got to get the balance right between saying, we want to sanitise it and remove it and then lose an element of the passion and fervour that sometimes over spills.”
Is White suggesting that the Green Brigade or any Celtic fan, for that matter, had previously assaulted the police and stewards and that’s why they are now banned?
Because we certainly cannot recall any such incident. White appears to be just spouting nonsense to keep the conversation going rather than keeping with the facts surrounding this whole episode.
Celtic have decided to become the judge and jury using CCTV footage to explain their reasoning that really does not show any type of assault. What’s more, how did Celtic identify that the 100 they have accused of this crime as being members of the Green Brigade from said footage?
That is what Celtic fans really want to know. Will they get their answers? It’s highly unlikely.