VILJAMI SINISALO CELTIC KEEPER CALLS OUT SCOTLAND’S SHAME AS MEDIA DEFLECTION CONTINUES
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
It’s fair to say that I have been very impressed with Viljami Sinisalo since he stepped in for the injured Kasper Schmeichel in March.
The young goalkeeper has made a string of superb saves and shows a confidence far beyond his years.
However, to succeed as a goalkeeper at Celtic requires more than just ability, confidence and hard work. It requires a big character; it requires an element of fearlessness.
For me, with his no-nonsense approach to dealing with the media yesterday, Viljami Sinisalo showed that he has that big personality. I believe it will see him become Celtic’s number one in the years ahead.
Viljami Sinisalo: Celtic Keeper Calls Out Media Ignorance, Rangers Fan Assaults
As I said immediately after last week’s game at Ibrox, one of the things that annoyed me the most about Rangers totally ineffectual, lip-service post-match statement was the refusal to acknowledge the multitude of objects thrown by their fans at the Celtic players and staff.
To add insult to injury, as usual, the Scottish press ran the statement as fact, without questioning any of its contents.
So, I was proud to see young Sinisalo call this out. He said at yesterday’s press conference:
“There wasn’t just a bottle. There were about 30 or 40 items thrown at me, one of them hit me in the lower leg. Vapes, lighters, cups, etc.
Sinisalo didn’t stop there: “What happens if one of those hits me in the eye? And I can’t play football anymore, what happens then?”
The keeper also highlighted that this is far from the first time that Rangers fans have disgraced themselves.
“Greg Taylor’s been hit, Arne Engels has been hit, our staff have been hit.
“It’s clearly not just one individual that was doing this.”
The journalists on hand kept asking Sinisalo what he thought should be done about it.
I really don’t get this line of questioning, so I was pleased to see our player treat it with the dismissive contempt that it deserves.
“It’s not for me to say, it’s up to them.” Sinisalo said repeatedly.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether “them” refers to Rangers or the Scottish football authorities.
Once again though, it’s sad and it’s embarrassing that out media repeatedly ask a Celtic player what should be done about the totally unacceptable conduct of another club’s fans.
This plague of violence is not Celtic’s problem.
If the media applied even a modicum of the same level of journalistic scrutiny and persistence to those with the power to actually do something about this blight, namely the football authorities and Rangers themselves, I might have some respect for them.
But no, that would involve actually calling out those to whom they are in thrall. That would require integrity.
As it stands this was nothing more than fishing for a controversial quote. I was proud to see Viljami Sinisalo politely, eloquently but firmly refuse to take the bait.
