CELTIC FAN CULTURE IS UNIQUE: IT CAN’T BE SYNTHESIZED
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- May 17
- 3 min read
As I write this, it’s less than 2 hours until Celtic kick off their final game of a hugely successful season, at home to St. Mirren.
Whatever the score, at the conclusion of today’s game, Celtic will receive the championship trophy. This should be a time of celebration of universal joy for all Celtic fans.
And yet, somehow, it isn’t.
Celtic’s Cynical Attempt to Replace Fan Tifos is a Blight on Trophy Day
It’s no secret that there has been animosity between the people who run Celtic and some supporters’ groups for a while now. For years, the board has fiercely resisted any attempt to allow direct representation for the fans at board level.
More recently, the board have remained silent on numerous occasions when fans needed their support.
When baseless allegations such as “sectarianism”, anti-semitism and general troublemaking were levelled at our support by numerous dark forces in the media, our board said nothing.
And yet they find their voice very quickly whenever they want to sell us a new strip, or a convince us that a meaningless pre-season friendly warrants an extra 25 quid on top of the already extreme cost of a season ticket.
But today is low, even by these usual, expected standards.
In recent weeks, the Celtic fan collective the North Curve has announced that the club were no longer allowing them to set up pre-match tifo displays.
Today, instead of tifos, if leaked images from Celtic Park are to be believed, every fan will have their own, pre-approved, wee, white flag to wave in unison, like good little drones, before kick off.
Because, according to whoever does Celtic’s PR, nothing says “undisputed domination” like waving a white flag!
Apparently, the Celtic Board only want pre-approved, politically inert messages coming from the stands.
That’s not how fan culture works. The Celtic fanbase is broad, arguably one of the broadest in world football. I mean, let’s face it, I’ll probably get a barrage of people calling me all sorts of names for even writing this and choosing to do so today.
But I don’t question the commitment of those people as Celtic supporters, even if perhaps I may question some of their moral choices.
Fan culture, especially when it concerns “ultra” groups like The Green Brigade and The Bhoys is organic. It evolves naturally. It cannot be subject to corporate approval or external control.
I remember the night we beat Barcelona at Celtic Park back in 2012. The full stadium tifo that night remains to this day one of the most stunningly beautiful sights I have ever seen.
Focus groups and corporate surveys could never produce something that beautiful, that spontaneous.
I hope once the dust settles on today, and after the Celtic support have enjoyed their public title party, as they are fully entitled to, that clearer heads can prevail.
You may approve of these ultra groups’ political messages or you may not. But you cannot deny that they bring a color, a volume and an exuberance to Celtic Park that is all too often found lacking these days.
We need them, and they need Celtic to be behind them. I think yesterday’s statement from The North Curve made their position clear. The onus is now on the Celtic Board to act in good faith and engage with all fans.
Our supporters are our biggest asset. It’s time those in power stopped treating them as an impediment.
