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I don't have a problem with anyone supporting a British club or indeed any other although I'd prefer if they supported an LoI side. I do have a problem when they say our league is rubbish though.
I'm a football fan and will watch any game but Limerick and the RoI national team come first.
Indeed I thoroughly enjoyed watching Celtic beat Ajax in a thrilling game in 1982 the night before Limerick met AZ67 in the ECWC eventhough our blue & white scarves got funny looks.
I would prefer to see other Scottish sides other than the Old Firm do well but then I also wanted Real Madrid to lose La Liga and Man Utd to lose the premiership.
My "problem" with Celtic however is that a sectarian element of their support has attached itself to our national side and associate the RoI national side with sectarian catholic nationalism/republicanism. This has already damaged the reputation of our team and our fans.
I've been following our national side home and away since I was 8 years of age and am justifably proud of the excellent reputation our fans have at home and abroad. My first away trip was Rotterdam 81 and 5,000 Irish fans had a party while England fans rioted in Oslo. We got treated with disdain on arrival in Stuttgart on June 11th 1988. I was genuinely concerned that the "black shoes, white socks and moustache" brigade would have responded to any trouble. They did but responded with good humour and a smile and the legend of Irish fans was born that weekend. A week later we were knocked out by a lucky offside goal 8 minutes from time and the response was to go have a party with the Dutch. Everywhere we've been since from Tehran to Tirana or from Brussels to Bursa we've enhanced that reputation. We have fans from all walks of life and all religions (or none). I met 2 Iranians (living in Germany) in Bursa who have been following us since Euro 88. I know of a Rangers fan who had to choose between Marseille for a champions league semi final in 93 or the Baltics so he couldn't and went to both. Any football fan over 30 will be conscious of bigotry from another code from glass been scattered over football pitches to Liam Brady being expelled from school for captaining his country at that "foreign" game. Anybody that tried to start any sectarian or racist stuff was quickly put in their place. A group of teenagers with Belfast accents tried to start some sectarian singing in Vilnius in 93 and they were quickly shut up. During that time Celtic were struggling badly - one championship from 1988-2000 and limited exposure in this country meant that they were not well supported. Celtic failed to even get 2nd place any season between 89 & 95 and only once got within 10 points of Rangers when they ran them to 8 points and also managed a creditable 4th place only 4 points behind 3rd placed Motherwell. I now realise how lucky we were that our first 3 appearances in major finals coincided with a dismal time in Celtic's fortunes and football fans in this country were more concerned with Man utd or Liverpool.
Now contrast that with today. Celtic have been discovered in this country (Donegal excepted where they always had good support) in the past couple of years. The success brought by Martin O'Neill along with Sky and later RTE's live coverage has given them exposure they never had. Many fans have discovered Celtic and the sectarian filth associated with a minority of their fans. Celtic have many many genuine non sectarian fans and I know a few of them however it appears to suit the club to allow this to continue and indeed encourage it. I was one of a handful of RoI fans at the Packie Bonnar testimonial in 1991 - Celtic v RoI XI. The prematch entertainment included Sean South and an IRA song I didn't know which I heard afterwards was "The Boys of the old Brigade". I was staggered by the size and passion of the support though.
Now Celtic have been discovered in this country in the past couple of years and it is now cool to be a Celtic fan. a minority of these fans have also deemed it okay to sing sectarian songs, boo and abuse current and former Rangers players. Terms such as "Dirty proddie", "Orange *******" and "hun *******" may be acceptable or even encouraged at Celtic Park but they are not acceptable here and paying €27 euro in does not give someone the right to say what they wish. Ironically the morons who directed some of the most disgusting abuse at Peter Madsen of PSV did so because they thought he was Peter Lovenkrands who indeed looks nothing like Madsen.
So now I hope that Martin O'Neill moves to a bigger club like West Ham and that Celtic go back to challenging Motherwell for 3rd place miles behind Noel Hunt & Gary Dempsey's Dunfermline and Alan Maybury's Hearts. More importantly I want the F.A.I. to take action and anyone that screams "dirty proddie" at an opposing player is thrown out of Lansdowne Road and never sees another ticket again and let them save their money for a one way Ryanair flight to Glasgow.
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