The Green Brigade unveiled a banner at Celtic vs St Mirren last night, indicating their unhappiness at the Celtic trip to Australia this November.
The Bhoys will take part in the ‘Sydney Super Cup’ during a tour down under, playing in matches against Sydney FC and Rangers.
It’s the first time the derby has been played outside of Scotland.
The effectively meaningless match has prompted an outcry from both sets of supporters who naturally want little to do with each other unless it’s mandated by the structure of Scottish football.
A banner was revealed in the North Curve area of the ground last night which read: “We’re not half of anything – unless there’s money to be made. Shove your ‘Old Firm’ friendly up your…”
You can fill in the blank.
It’s clear there is a massive disconnect between supporters and the board on this initiative. We know they value the rivalry more than fans do but this is taking things to an extreme many people are unhappy with.
Celtic’s argument will be it’s a great opportunity for Ange Postecoglou and his team, with money to be made too. But at a time when the club should be looking to build bridges with the week-to-week match-going support, alienating them further is a bold move.
Personally speaking, although I’m not that enthused about the fixture, I’m not exactly in the raging camp either. I’ve never had any illusions about the motives of the Celtic board and until there is real fan representation there, they are always going to take decisions that increase the cash and growth of the club.
It will be interesting to see if active supporters take more protest measures over the coming weeks and months – but ultimately I don’t think Celtic’s mind will be changed on this one.
In other news, Confirmed: Controversial referee appointed to Celtic vs Livingston.
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