In Scotland, this is not considered a scandal...
It's considered an exiting game.

Where's the prototypical riot???

Good Lord, that is one of the most rediculous things I've ever read.

Oops, I meant, good diety(ies)((unless that's offensive to athiests, then Good Grief).

Well you have to be careful with these things. I mean, someone might get offended, and goodness, we wouldn't want to step on some daisy-face's toes.

The sign of the Cross? and charges to be laid?. No wonder my Jacobite forefathers left that hunk of desolation. I always thought that lot were still Christian though. Five generations of migration and there's not an awful lot left, a few weasely little guys who put on kilts on R Burns Day and speak with an embarrasing accent.

In nomini Patris, et Filis, et Spiritus Sancti.

Veni, vidi, vici.

...and GOD BLESS

This is Rangers v Celtic, Protestant Glasgow v Catholic Glasgow.

I remember when Gazza got in trouble - suspended, I think - for briefly pretending he was playing a republican fife as he warmed up in front of the baying Celtic fans.

In Canada we think that the Leafs vs the Senators, Leafs vs Habs, Flames vs Oilers, etc are rivalries. Those are nothing in comparison to footy rivalries.

Burn the Witch! BURN Him!

Football365 sez it was someting other than the sign of the cross:

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8733_1455909,00.html

The thing about Old Firm footy is that the fans can act like absolute animals, but let one player react to it and he's quickly hoisted on his own petard.

Don't be too hard on the yobs. They're going to be our frontline when the sledding gets heavy with our Muslim friends in the next Crusade.

For the love of Pete. Honestly! Give me a break. What's the world coming to? Can you believe it? I CAN'T believe it! Good grief! Holy cow! (Am I allowed to say that, or Holy Schmoly?) What's next? Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle... Well, I never... Did you SEE that?

BTW, who won the game?

On a more serious note, this is what the world is coming to:

You can be a Yob all you want, and in full view of everyone, including the Bobby on the corner, drink yourself silly, vomit all over the street (that's what goes on in Scottish streets in the wee small hours...I have a friend who lives there and told me), yell obscenities at strangers, pick up girls, yada, yada, yada, but you can't...

...MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS IN PUBLIC.

Kyrie Eleison.

Nice....I think it's about time to tell the people (all the people) who don't like to see expressions of Christian faith to bugger off back where they came from and to take two radical Secularists with 'em.

Just be glad that you can take your kids to watch sports in North America. They simply aren't civilized in Europe -- still completely tribal -- and football is their outlet. Celtic vs Rangers is maybe the worse example -- Irish Catholic immigrants vs Scot protestants.

I was in Milan in 2004 on biz and happened to see Celtic play AC Milan live in a Champs league game. I was invited by some Celtic fans to use an extra ticket they had at a bar the night before. Seemed like decent chaps.

Well, the next day, I meet up with them in the subway and we ride a train packed with Celtic fans to the stadium. The most popular chant song went like this: "the I, the I, the I - R - A; the I, the I, the I - R - A" repeat ad nauseum. To their credit, the boys I was with weren't singing along to that one but most were. Most of the other songs were rather uncomplementary about the Rangers or England.

We weren't allowed to leave the stadium until a full hour after the AC Milan fans had left to keep the violence down. That's pretty standard practice over there even between two clubs w/o great enmity.

It seems silly from here to ban the sign of the cross and it is, but another sad part is that the sign of the cross became a sectarian symbol even to other Christians.

Whereas if he'd simply paraded a sign reading "Behead those who mock Islam" or "Death to Infidels" the police would have rushed to his defence and removed from the stadium any fans who objected (as they did during demonstrations in London).

veni vidi vd...i came , i saw, i caught...

(with apologies to the late Benny Hill..!)

Well bless my soul the Philistines are at it again!

Yep, let us banish faith, hope, and charity.

That ought to improve the world, given the unholy mess some of our ostensible leaders have served up.

Utter rubbish, goodness gracious whatever shall we do? The sign of the cross; oh my heavens!!

Was it a burning one perhaps?

I know, I know thats the line from Peter Pan:

"Sound the alarm, call Scotland Yard!!!"

Chill, people, this is Glasgow. They were killing each other over which side of the face to paint blue when Moses was floating around in a reed basket.

Chill?

I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.

Gilbert K. Chesterton

A Celtic/Rangers game is always a good excuse for a Catholic/Protestant riot. Part of the Glaswegian tradition.

Me thinks the protestant doth protest too much...

I was in Glasgow 2 years back with some friends. One night we were at a pub and one of the girls was wearing a green and pink striped shirt. In the darkness and drunkeness of the pub I guess her shirt had been mistaken for green and white. (Celtic colours) Anyway it wasn't long before we were told by one of the Scotish patrons that we had better, "get the fuck outta the pub with that Celtic jersey before something bad happened"

I knew it! I knew it! I knew there was something sinister about the sign of the cross. I watch a lot of hockey and baseball and see the French Canadian lads crossing themselves at the start of a hockey game and Latinos crossing themselves before a ball game. Invoking evil spirts no doubt! Off with their heads! And how about the 18 year-old Jewish kid who is a hockey phenom but won't play on the sabbath? He's trying to cause trouble and ruin hockey. No doubt about it.

It's a silly thing no doubt. But to incite a riot by knowingly acting in a fashion that will cause the riot, that is a malicious act and punishment for it IS appropriate.

Real danger to innocent people is real danger to innocent people.

Pat

According to the police Boruc was not cautioned for crossing himself, but for gestures which in the opinion of the Police were incitefull, please remember these games are emotionally charged affairs and the smallest of actions can cause significant problems.The Scottish Police have been dealing with this stuff for years and they would not have involved themselves with Boruc unless there was justification.

According to the police Boruc was not cautioned for crossing himself, but for gestures which in the opinion of the Police were incitefull, please remember these games are emotionally charged affairs and the smallest of actions can cause significant problems.The Scottish Police have been dealing with this stuff for years and they would not have involved themselves with Boruc unless there was justification.

No wonder the Scotland/Britain/Ireland is going to pot. How the hell are they going to deal with their muslim problem if they can't even get their problem with their own sectarian bickering under control?

"No wonder the Scotland/Britain/Ireland is going to pot. How the hell are they going to deal with their muslim problem if they can't even get their problem with their own sectarian bickering under control?"

Warwick,

The Old Firm struggle has never escalated beyond drunken brawling, period. And the most anti-English act any Rangers or Celtics supporter has likely undertaken has been to wear a Trinidad and Tobago jersey during the 2006 World Cup.

That being said, the Glasgow derby still amounts to the tallest pygmy competition within UK football.

I was in Scotland in 1989 and Rangers had signed their first Catholic player that year (they were established in 1873) and this was a big deal to some.
According to Wikipedia, Rangers and Celtics are trying to downplay the sectarian aspects associated with the game. This may be the reasoning behind this ridiculous action. But given that the man's polish, it's hardly fair to expect a forienger to keep up with the local biases.