As they revealed that an investigation had been started into “unapproved” banners being flown last weekend, Livingston took aim at the Green Brigade, a group of Celtic supporters. “Born into slavery they were Freedom’s Sons” was one of the many statements the Lions published to express their displeasure with the tifos. Livi claims that although this flag honored the 1916 Easter Rising, it went against the club’s agreed-upon principles. They claim that authorization was turned down twice.
The complete statement said: “As a club, we feel we need to address a number of problems that came up before and after Sunday’s match with Celtic. Prior to this match, “The Green Brigade,” a visiting supporters group, made requests through the Celtic SLO for a Tifo display in each of the three stands designated for Celtic support as well as a banner to be hung in front of the East Stand.
You Play for Us and We’ll Sing for You was supposed to be written on the banner. This request was turned down; instead, authorization was given for a Tifo and banner display limited to the South Stand.
Pre-match meetings were held the week before the game, and in attendance were representatives from the club, Celtic FC, Amberstone, our steward firm, and an SPFL delegate. At these meetings, this topic was discussed. “Everyone present understood that a Tifo and banner display in the South Stand were agreed upon.
“The same visiting fans group made a second request for a Tifo display in all three stands on match day, about an hour before kickoff, but it was once again denied.
The flag was let into the ground unchecked through an emergency gate that was opened out of concern for safety, defying the club’s and the police’s orders. “Then, once more defying the established protocol, the banner was hung at the front of the East Stand. “It was therefore decided to allow this banner and the Tifo exhibition to go ahead for the sake of everyone on the ground’s safety as well as to avoid any more disturbances that might have delayed the start of the game or put it in jeopardy
“An additional, unapproved banner was raised at the beginning of the second half. “The flag itself wasn’t a problem in and of itself, but once more, it is completely and totally reprehensible that visiting supporters were allowed access trackside to display the banner. “In-depth conversations are currently taking place with outside partners who were present at the stadium on Sunday to determine why several of these instances were permitted to occur and what measures will be implemented to guarantee that they don’t occur again in upcoming games.
As a temporary measure to stop this, it’s possible that going forward, no banners or flags of any kind will be allowed inside the stadium. However, this will be thoroughly studied to guarantee a solution that stops a recurrence at subsequent games. Finally, a long time ago, we received a call from a school group visiting from America for the Easter weekend. They wanted to attend games on Saturday and Sunday, so they inquired about attending our game. “Considering the nature of the tour, we had no reason to suspect that it may include some supporters of the opposition, and the firm arranging the trip never informed us of this at any time.
Some of the party arrived wearing away colors, but since all of the tickets for the away game were already sold out, there was nothing the group could do to shift to the away section. “But after our safety team met with the group and the home fans nearby, the group did take off their colors, stayed in the home end, and mentioned how friendly the home fans had been to them and the area where they were sitting. Despite the initial misunderstanding, we appreciate the supporters in areas C1, C2, and C3 for their understanding and for making the group feel welcome.
Overall, given the aforementioned concerns, it was undoubtedly a dismal day on all fronts. We acknowledge that some aspects of the day weren’t appropriate, and in addition to speaking with all relevant partners, we’ll be doing more internal talks about how we might try to lower the amount of worries surrounding these events. We completely understand and sympathize with our own supporters’ unhappiness with these developments.”
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