In the aftermath of some of the disgraceful scenes in and around Celtic Park on March 16th involving Police Scotland, Celtic were quick to respond.
The club issued a statement within 24 hours of the match promising to fully investigate fan allegations of police misconduct. Today, we have an update on this from Celtic.
Initial Skepticism Misplaced
At the time of Celtic’s initial statement, I must admit I was rather cynical about it. I hoped this was the start of the club’s actions, not the end.
I hoped the statement was sincere in its expression that something had to be done, and that it wasn’t simply, as I feared, about quieting discontent among the Celtic support.
Thankfully, it seems my cynicism was misplaced.
A Supporters’ Update
In a statement released to fan media outlets last night, Celtic confirmed that they have brought in an independent safety and events consultant to review everything that happened two weeks ago.
An excerpt from the statement read: “The Club is engaging in discussions with Celtic supporters, supporters’ associations, clubs and groups, and Police Scotland, to understand these events and the circumstances in which they took place.”
The Next Part is Where it gets Interesting
The statement continues: “To inform this process, we have engaged independent safety and event consultants Fairhurst to collate and review the feedback on supporter experiences received by the Club.
Fairhurst will also offer an opportunity for others who were present, and who have not already provided feedback on the events, to do so.”
Celtic’s statement also encourages anyone affected by the events of Sunday March 16th who hasn’t already made a statement to the club, to get in touch with Fairhurst directly, via the following email address: 160325feedback@fairhurst.co.uk.
Who Are Fairhurst?
According to their own website, Fairhurst are a consultancy firm, specializing in a number of fields. They have offices all over the UK and have been in business for more than a century.
Most pertinent to Celtic, however, is their health and safety consultation arm. I’ll spare you the entire blurb, but it specifically mentions: “ensuring public safety at major sporting events” as one their core areas of expertise.
It seems like Celtic have really called in the professionals on this one.
Statement Strikes a Fine Balance
Whilst some of us may have hoped that Celtic would come out all guns blazing and go straight for the jugular with regards Police Scotland and their treatment of supporters, in reality that was never going to happen.
The statement is measured, and in my opinion strikes a reasonable balance between the conciliatory and the assertive.
Safety is Always the Priority For Celtic Fans
Another excerpt from the statement read: “All supporters should feel safe when attending - and travelling to - football matches.
“Just as supporters should behave safely and responsibly both inside and outside of football stadia, so too they should be confident at all times that they themselves will be treated fairly.”
I really don’t see how any reasonable person could object to any of those sentiments.
Keeping an Open Dialogue with Everyone
Celtic also addressed the need for an ongoing dialogue with fans, Police Scotland and other concerned parties.
The statement added: “The Club is engaged in discussions with Celtic supporters, supporters’ associations, clubs and groups, and Police Scotland, to understand these events and the circumstances in which they took place.”
What is the Endgame?
Celtic definitely said all the right things in this statement, but ultimately where does it lead?
The statement’s closing paragraph, I think, gives us some insight into this.
It concludes: “Through a structured process we will share these findings with Police Scotland, to assist in; understanding of the experience of those present at the events of 16th March; in identifying any questions to be answered; and highlighting any lessons which may be learned.”
It’s a pretty long-winded and extremely diplomatic way of saying:
Police Scotland: Your Card is Marked
The big takeaway from all of this is that Celtic now have outside experts preparing a report on all of this. I am sure the report will produce plenty of “questions to be answered” and “lessons to be learned”
How Police Scotland addresses this statement, if indeed they do at all, will tell us a lot about their actions going forward. As the saying goes “turkeys never vote for Christmas”, so I don’t know if the Police will be too keen to cooperate with this outside appraisal of their activities.
However, by making this statement out now, ahead of a Celtic Fans Protest planned for later today, Celtic have added further pressure to the growing demand for greater public accountability for Police Scotland.
If Police Scotland are Smart, They’ll Cooperate
I’d say that this move by Celtic, coupled with the ongoing protests from fans and civil rights groups, means that Police Scotland now have a binary choice.
Come out and admit your failings, explain why you did what you did and tell us all exactly who will be held responsible. Most importantly though, the police need to provide a detailed plan as to how they will review their policies and procedures to make sure these disgraceful scenes are never repeated again.
Or, as I suspect is more likely, they will continue to bury their heads in the sand, deny any wrongdoing and hope this all dies down.
What Happens Next?
I suspect it may be several weeks before we here any more from Celtic about this in an official capacity. Expect plenty of pro-police propaganda in the mainstream press in the meantime, along with further attempts to dehumanize football fans.
Celtic’s statement has shifted the narrative. The club now publicly acknowledges this is no longer just about The Green Brigade or any other “Ultra” group. This is a matter of concern for all Celtic fans, and we all need to play our part.
There are interesting times ahead, and of course, I will update you as soon as I know anything more.