Alan Bairner and Stuart Whigham deal with the issue of sectarianism in Scottish football in this chapter. There, the term “sectarianism” describes the continuous ethnic, political and religious tensions and conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. They show that the history of Scottish football has been punctuated by regular episodes of verbal abuse and not infrequent outbursts of violence, primarily, but not exclusively, associated with the rivalry between Glasgow’s two biggest clubs, Celtic and Rangers. These events have traditionally been characterised as sectarian and as evidence of persistent religious bigotry. More recently, however, the debate has moved on with some researchers preferring to use the word racism to describe the anti-Irishness directed at Celtic Football Club and its followers with others contending that the word racism is inappropriate in this particular context. Meanwhile, legislators and Police Scotland have sought ways to tackle the problem regardless of what terminology is used. This chapter engages with the fundamental question whether sectarianism in Scottish football is a form of anti-Irish racism and examines the arguments put forward by either side of this debate. -- Provided by publisher.
Bairner, AlanWhigham, Stuart
School of Sport, Nutrition and Allied Health Professions
Year of publication: 2025Date of RADAR deposit: 2025-03-13