Livingston Football Club has expressed its sadness with Celtic’s Green Brigade following last Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match. The club claims the Celtic supporters’ organisation broke pre-match agreements by entering the pitch to display two “unapproved” banners before kick-off.
As usual, Livingston had allocated 3 of the 4 stands of the Tony Macaroni Arena to Celtic supporters. However, this decision backfired when several visiting fans left their seats to stand in front of advertising forums and unfurl a banner along the pitch.
This banner commemorated the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and read “Born into slavery, they were children of freedom. “Another banner was displayed at one of the halftime goals, reading “Hold on to our title, Bhoys. “Don’t give up on sleep.
Livingston issued a statement on stage Wednesday, disappointing many of his aides. He explained that an organization of Celtic collaborators, “The Green Brigade,” had asked for permission to display Tifo in the three stands intended for Celtic aid and display a banner. along the east stand.
This request was denied, as permission was granted only for the demonstration of tifos and banners in the south stand.
They said: “This factor was discussed at the pre-match meeting, held the week leading up to the match, which was attended by representatives from the club, Celtic FC, Amberstone (our management company) and an SPFL delegate.
“The agreement for a demonstration of Tifo and banners in the south grandstand was understood by all participants. On the day of the match, about an hour before kick-off, a new demonstration of Tifo was requested in the 3 stands through the same visitor. fanatics and back denied.
“Contrary to the orders of the club and the police, the banner allowed entry to the ground, uncontrolled, through an emergency gate that was opened for security reasons.
“The banner was then unfurled in front of the east stand, contrary to the agreed procedure.
“It was then considered that this banner and the Tifo demonstration could continue for reasons of public protection of those on the pitch and to avoid further disturbances that could delay the start of the match or jeopardise the rest of the match.
“At the beginning of the second half, another unapproved banner was unfurled. The banner itself is not a thing as such, once again, enthusiastic visitors were allowed access to the side of the track to demonstrate the banner, which is absolutely unacceptable.
“Extensive discussions are underway with external partners who were rushing into the stadium on Sunday to determine why several of those incidents might have occurred and what measures will be taken to ensure that they are not repeated in long-term matches.
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Despite Sunday’s problems, manager David Martindale said he would still like to see Livi’s stadium packed with Old Firm supporters despite the backlash against the fact that most of the stadiums were Celtic supporters.
“I think the scenario could have been dealt with better on Sunday,” he said at his Wednesday news conference. “But for me, would I have a stadium with 8,000 Old Businesses?Yes, all day. “
“It brings its own upheavals at the same time, but I think it brings an atmosphere to football.
“Since his arrival in the Premiership, a large part of the club’s business style has been based on away fans. Some people might not like to hear that, but at the end of the day, the crowds outside are probably about 33% of our revenue.
“Even if we take finances out of the equation, I’d still like to fill those three stands, whether it’s home or away fans, because to me that’s what football is.
“I like to paint in high-pressure environments with a wonderful vibe. “