Anti-Irish racism in Scottish football claims by MSP

Anti-Irish racism in Scottish football claims by MSP

Independent MSP Dennis Canavan

Dennis Canavan wants action taken against clubs if necessary
MSP Dennis Canavan has hit out at Scotland's football authorities for allowing anti-Irish racism to thrive.

Canavan, Independent MSP for Falkirk West, told the Scottish Parliament: "Is it not a national scandal? "That for many years in Scotland the Scottish football authorities turned a blind eye to anti-Irish racism in Scottish football. "And it was not until Uefa took action that certain people were brought to their senses."

Rangers were fined last season for sectarian chants during Uefa Cup ties against Villarreal. And Uefa has since been monitoring matches involving the Glasgow club and city rivals Celtic.

Canavan asked the Lord Advocate to urge the football authorities to take "strict disciplinary action against any guilty players, or supporters, or, if necessary, clubs to stamp out all forms of racism and sectarianism, which should not be tolerated in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Scotland".

There has been a very major change in culture in Scotland regarding this matter

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini stressed that the sectarian issue was being widely discussed. She pointed out that chief constables had been given increased powers to deal with sectarian behaviour. "There has been a very major change in culture in Scotland regarding this matter over the last few years," she said, adding that it was being treated with "utmost seriousness" by chief constables.

The exchange followed a question about alleged racism against Dan Gerrard, who plays for East of Scotland League side Spartans, for whom Canavan once played. The Lord Advocate advised Canavan's fellow Independent MSP, Margo MacDonald, to write to her about the case and that the details would be passed to the appropriate procurator fiscal.

MacDonald had said: "I have no wish to see the long arm of the law moving into sporting arenas because I believe that the sporting bodies themselves should police anti-racism inside their own arenas." However, she said that "the Scottish Football Association on this occasion declined to pursue the matter" despite witnesses to racial abuse directed at her constituent.

SFA chief executive David Taylor this month promised to re-examine the case.

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Anti-Irish racism in Scottish football claims by MSP