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Celtic Boy's Club - Celtic FC's statement today


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The statement in full reads as follows:

 

“Following the conviction of Mr James Torbett at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Celtic Football Club wishes to express our deep regret that the incidents took place and sympathy for the victims who suffered abuse. We are grateful for the courage of those who have come forward to report abuse and to give evidence after such a long period of time. We have great respect for them and their families as they continue to cope with the distressing effects of the abuse they suffered.

 

Allegations regarding abuse at Celtic Boys’ Club first emerged in the 1990s. Although Celtic Football Club is an entirely separate organisation, we have always taken these allegations extremely seriously because of our historic contacts with Celtic Boys’ Club. All investigations by the police and other inquiries were given our full support. We encouraged any individuals involved to report all information to the police so that matters could be investigated fully. Celtic Football Club continues to encourage any victim of abuse to report these crimes to the police.

 

After the allegations became known in the 1990s, Celtic Football Club took steps to develop a new code of conduct and procedures to protect young people. Since then, Celtic Football Club has been at the leading edge of putting welfare and safeguarding protections in place for our young people. We were the first club in Scotland to appoint a safeguarding officer, developing policies for the protection of young people and monitoring and reviewing our procedures to ensure they continue to reflect best practice.

 

The abuse of children is an issue affecting many areas of society, including a large number of football clubs, sports clubs, youth organisations, educational institutions and religious bodies across Britain. Celtic Football Club strongly believes that children and young people involved in football have the right to protection from all forms of harm and abuse and is committed to ensuring this and to promoting their wellbeing through continued cooperation with our children and young people, parents and carers and the relevant authorities. “

 

 

No apologies then?

 

What a horrible club they are.

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What's the relationship between Celtic and the Boy's Club? I always just assumed it was part of the club, but I see in the statement that that's not the case.

They’re technically not the same club but unmistakeably intertwined.

 

Regardless of the point scoring that many will delight in, Celtic really haven’t helped themselves here. They’ve been mocked and condemned over this for the last 20 odd years now, and the statement from the club appears to do everything they can to distance themselves from it, in spite of footage of Jock Stein and Billy McNeill in Torbett’s company at awards ceremonies.

 

That they haven’t even contacted the poor guy who has waived his anonymity is outrageous, and to my (admittedly biased) eye, it strikes me as if they almost see him as a traitor for tarring their “good” name, when in fact he was a helpless victim.

 

What they should do is request an independent enquiry into what went on back then and act in accordance with those findings, but given that that may well open a few more cans of worms, I’ll not hold my breath.

 

I’ll add as well of course, that the behaviour of some of their friends across the city in delighting in this, in particular the odious David Edgar (see Heart in Hand Podcast on Twitter- I’m on my phone so not digging out a link) has been despicable, but that’s to be expected.

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They’re technically not the same club but unmistakeably intertwined.

 

Regardless of the point scoring that many will delight in, Celtic really haven’t helped themselves here. They’ve been mocked and condemned over this for the last 20 odd years now, and the statement from the club appears to do everything they can to distance themselves from it, in spite of footage of Jock Stein and Billy McNeill in Torbett’s company at awards ceremonies.

 

That they haven’t even contacted the poor guy who has waived his anonymity is outrageous, and to my (admittedly biased) eye, it strikes me as if they almost see him as a traitor for tarring their “good” name, when in fact he was a helpless victim.

 

What they should do is request an independent enquiry into what went on back then and act in accordance with those findings, but given that that may well open a few more cans of worms, I’ll not hold my breath.

 

I’ll add as well of course, that the behaviour of some of their friends across the city in delighting in this, in particular the odious David Edgar (see Heart in Hand Podcast on Twitter- I’m on my phone so not digging out a link) has been despicable, but that’s to be expected.

It's  well worth the publicity it gets IMO. Absolute vermin. 

TIME FOR CHANGE!

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It's well worth the publicity it gets IMO. Absolute vermin.

Aye, but giving it the “you lot were quick to have a go at us for not paying our debts, look at what you’ve been up to” patter isn’t the sort of publicity it merits. It’s heinous in it’s own right, and doesn’t detract from the crimes for Rangers (RIP).

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I think a lot of people would take Celtic more seriously if they weren't so utterly sanctimonious about everyone and everything else. No doubt they want to avoid the slightest shred of legal liability here (not that I think there would be any), hence this ultra-careful phrasing of sympathy without admitting any culpability for keeping a beast around the place after he'd been "booted" the first time, but that is no excuse. They would have been better off saying nothing rather than this, which is an insult.

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I think a lot of people would take Celtic more seriously if they weren't so utterly sanctimonious about everyone and everything else. No doubt they want to avoid the slightest shred of legal liability here (not that I think there would be any), hence this ultra-careful phrasing of sympathy without admitting any culpability for keeping a beast around the place after he'd been "booted" the first time, but that is no excuse. They would have been better off saying nothing rather than this, which is an insult.

That was what I was thinking, they are trying to seem sympathetic whilst not accepting responsibility for the actions. One way which would very easy to ascertain whether or not Celtic FC are responsible is whether James Torbett and/or his cohorts accepted any form of payment - whether wages, expenses, payment in kind, or even a sponsorship - as a form of remuneration from Celtic FC for running the boys club in their behalf. If they did, they should be held to account.

 

One other thing, Celtic's support should be appalled by the actions of Torbett & Co. They experienced some grim times in the 1980s and 1990s when their conveyor belt of talent came to a grinding halt around the same era, where the two linked at all? And what of 'the green brigade' - those who love to champion victims from other parts of the world, in particular the Hamas controlled Muslim enclaves in the middle East - they don't seem to be very vocal in this issue, where paedophiles used their club to abuse young Scottish children.

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The Left in the UK - barring a relatively small number of admirable exceptions - has either been apathetic to or supportive of the mass sexual exploitation of British youth (of both sexes and many racial backgrounds, incidentally) and this is why I parted ways with thr British Left a few years ago. You're either against this beastly indecency or you're not, and Celtic are not.

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I tend to agree about the left being very selective about what they seem to be offended about, and have seemed to weaponise the term 'racism' to discredit those with an opposing view. A lot of people are fearful of this term, including many in authority such as the Rotherham police and social work, to the extent that they didn't investigate child abuse on an industrial scale against thousands of white English children perpetrated by Pakistani Muslim Men.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't say that either Celtic or The Green Brigade for that matter are particularly 'Leftist' or pursue a 'Leftist' agenda - yes, there will be individuals with left leanings amongst their number, but instead they have a 'Celtic' agenda where the world is against them and theirs except when things go in their favour, and admitting that the club they love so much has a long history of child abuse perpetrated by more than one individual over a period of several decades does not suit their agenda.

They would rather be thought of being the great institution set up with charitable and altruistic intentions, standing up for the oppressed, soup kitchens in East-end slums, pro-Irish nationalism whilst opposing independence for Scotland, waving palestine flags, refugees are welcome etc.

 

As I said before, a horrible club.

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It's an insult reserved by the use of 'Tommy Robinson'and the like for people with a bit of decency.

And is 'Tommy Robinson' wrong in everything he says or does?

 

 

You may not agree with him as an individual or even his methods, but he is one of the very few out there who are willing to say in public what many people are frightened to say.

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It's a pretty safe bet that anybody says "the left supports mass sexual exploitation" of children is an absolute dick of the highest order, tbh. Usual from the usual.

The 'left' prefer to tiptoe around subjects like Muslim grooming gangs, Islamic extremists terrorism and even more trivial subjects such as the Burqa as they don't wish to offend the Muslim communities in the UK. It's a safer position for them to take rather than taking the bull by the horns.

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