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Issue
No.5 Summer 2001
The
IFA Battles with Bigotry
by
Tommy McKearney
Sectarianism is not an invention of the Irish
Football Association (IFA) but the nasty spectre of intolerance and bigotry
has haunted the terraces for generations. The reality of life in Belfast
has almost always ensured that political and religious passions have found
an additional outlet in the sporting arena. Distasteful as the recent
treatment of Neil Lennon was, it came as no great surprise to those of
us used to the under-currents of Northern Irish life that a playing member
of the Glasgow Celtic club would receive verbal abuse from sections of
the Windsor Park crowd.
Having said that though, the reaction from a
significant portion of the Northern Irish public was extremely hostile
to the bigoted chanting and abuse to which Lennon had been subjected during
the game with Norway. Significantly, there was a noticeable change in
the crowds behaviour when he next lined out against the Czech Republic
in March. The sound of the mob was still discernable but was much less
strident than at the other game. It is unlikely that the bigoted element
within Northern Ireland¹s football society had undergone a Pauline conversion
in the few weeks between the two fixtures. This causes one to ask the
obvious question, what had happened in the meantime and is there a lesson
for all of society in the North of Ireland?
Several facts emerge from the episode that point
to at least two currents at work, which are worth noting. In the first
instance was the acceptance of grim reality that compelled all associated
with soccer football in Northern Ireland to recognise the parlous, indeed
perilous situation into which the IFA was drifting. Secondly, there was
a willingness, not always obvious in the past, to do something about the
situation and thereafter that task was shared with a number of influential
agencies and personalities.
In the aftermath of the Norway game there was
a possibility that Neil Lennon might retire from international football
and concentrate on his club career. This would obviously have been a considerable
loss to a team with such a small pool of players from which to draw. More
detrimental still, would have been the damaging signals this would have
sent to other young professionals eligible to play for Northern Ireland.
To retain a credible presence on the international stage, Northern Ireland
has to win a commitment from all professionals born in the region and
moreover, from many born in Britain but still qualifying under the ³grannies
and grandas² rule. Bigots may believe that it is possible to be selective
about players¹ religious or ethnic background and still succeed with a
limited panel but reality dictates otherwise.
In the last four years almost a dozen young players
from the North have opted to play for the Republic and Brian Kerr, director
of youth football in the South, is quoted as saying that he gets ³calls
on a weekly basis from people telling me this player wants to play for
us and not the North². There is no similar evidence about the number of
British born professionals opting out of the Northern side but it is fair
to assume that nasty images and perceptions must surely impact unfavourably
on their desire to play for the team.
The public furore in the wake of the match was of course extensive. Numerous
journalist and public figures, normally indulgent or indifferent to the
IFA, criticised this brutish aspect of Northern Irish football. At one
stage the Northern Ireland manager was even chided for not apparently
not being sufficiently robust in his condemnation of the abuse of Lennon.
In the intensively competitive world of international football the loss
of any asset is costly. Northern Ireland was therefore faced with the
unpleasant possibility of going from World Cup qualifiers to a ³goal-aggregate-boosting
asset² within one generation.
The response to the prospect was swift and positive.
IFA chairman Jimmy Boyce launched a campaign under the title ³ Give Bigotry
the Red Card² and had thousands of leaflets distributed before the game
with the Czech republic. Although sending a clear signal of the IFA¹s
position, this campaign was not of itself enough to change the climate
in Windsor Park.
Another crucial factor was the almost unseen
intervention of individuals, agencies and groups working to counteract
the sectarian chanting and abuse. Billy Hutchinson MLA, for example, exerted
his considerable influence in loyalist quarters, and challenged the mindless
behaviour. Unnoticed perhaps by the wider public, Hutchinson¹s example
nevertheless had an impact in many quarters. Others also joined the campaign
when significant groups such as the Shankill Road based Northern Ireland
Supporters Club conducted an energetic campaign to counteract sectarian
chanting from the terraces. The weight of public opinion and private influence
was telling and the impact was evident by improvements at the Czech game.
Nevertheless, it is too early to describe the
reaction of the crowd at this one game as new and permanent. Far too many
passions and hatreds are swirling around in Northern Ireland for any simple
panacea to prove the comprehensive solution. The IFA may well have to
contemplate even further and more radical steps if they wish to stamp
out the problem.
Former Northern Ireland captain Ian Dowie has mooted the idea of moving
internationals away from Windsor Park with its long and sometimes unfortunate
history and moreover, away from the loyalist area in which the stadium
is located. It would be a controversial decision but one that might make
nationalist attendance at big matches more likely and something that would
signal a break with the past.
It is also important that similar efforts be
made at local soccer matches to ensure that the atmosphere remains as
free from sectarianism as possible. A feeling of anonymity and the realisation
that unacceptable behaviour will most likely go undetected and unpunished
often encourages louts. Proposals have been made to launch a programme
of developing family orientated facilities for spectators where the rawer
edges of bad behaviour could be discouraged and where stewarding would
be much more effective. In order to make this policy work, clubs will
have to take responsibility for their grounds and be prepared to accept
a fall in attendance in the short run until the healthier climate brings
new and different crowds into the sport.
In spite of some progress, the IFA is still faced
with a huge task and in the light of past experience it would be foolhardy
to say that success is assured. Nevertheless, the association achieved
a measure of improvement for the Czech game and that is significant.
Moreover, there are lessons that are applicable to the wider community
in Northern Ireland. Recent events show that sectarianism may be a reality
of life but that it is not a genetic disorder without any possible cure.
Where the problem is recognised and faced up to, evidence suggests that
change can come about.
It has to be understood of course that sectarianism
is not purely a football terraces, nor does it always manifest itself
as loud and vulgar. The posh professional who discreetly ensures that
his daughter marries a co-religionist and the business type who never
admits in public but is quietly convinced in private that the ³other side²
is unsuited for managerial position in his firm are both guilty of sectarianism.
Such insidious behaviour is just as damaging in the long run as the cruder
version.
Eventually, the problem has to be recognised
and ³outed² and a conscious effort made thereafter to take active measures
to combat its pernicious and debilitating effects.
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