In the wake of Alan Muir’s sacking, it’s clear Celtic do not apply enough pressure to the SFA. Just imagine what we’d achieve if we did?

There are certain lines that cannot, should not, be crossed in the footballing world, yet Celtic have been on the receiving end of many mind-blowingly crazy decisions that cross lines that would astound you down through the years.

Both on and off the park.

Cheating by referees is one of those lines should never be crossed.

Because what are referees there for after all?

But to uphold the laws of the game on the field of play.

They are there to protect the players, and ensure games are played in a fair, and sporting manner.

But the culture in Scottish refereeing, which is anathema to that very concept, is just something we’ve had to learn to live with.

It’s a story so long that I don’t have the time, or the blogging space to tell it.

But one man did, Paul Larkin.

A man whose excellent YouTube documentaries on Celtic’s struggles down through the years are second to none.

His documentary, Anyone but Celtic (below), tells the story of Scottish refereeing, the anti-Celtic culture within it, but also the anti-Celtic culture that exists within the SFA.

YouTube: Anyone but Celtic A Film By Paul Larkin (mirrored)

It shows how the blatant cheating by referees within Scottish football could not be carried out without the collusion of the governing body.

In other words, the two go hand in hand.

Cheating is endemic within Scottish refereeing for many reasons, but one of the main reasons lies around allegiances.

And the lack of a structure or system where referees have to declare their allegiances.

Which is a standard requisite in most other leagues around Europe, if not the globe.

Alan Muir never hid his allegiances.

It was a widely known fact that he was a supporter of the Ibrox club.

Then again, most Ibrox supporting referees never do try to hide it

John Beaton is a prime example of this.

We all remember Beaton’s appearance at the Crown Bar in Bellshill in the wake of some astonishing anti-Celtic/pro-Ibrox decisions at Ibrox earlier that afternoon in December 2018.

Over the course of three separate decades, the nineties, the noughties, and the current decade, culminating in Alan Muir’s sacking just this week, Celtic have been involved in scandals which resulted in the sacking/resignation of an SFA employee.

Within those decades, four major incidents occurred.

The first was the Jim Farry scandal, which you will get the full story on in Paul Larkin’s documentary.

Then the second was the resignation/sacking of Hugh Dallas.

This came about as a result of sectarian emails from Dallas regarding the Pope’s visit to Scotland in September 2010.

While Celtic didn’t really have any major involvement in this incident in a club capacity as such, Dallas’ actions were highlighted by a Celtic supporting journalist.

Dallas was a long-time thorn in Celtic’s side as a referee.

His actions in the May 1999 title decider between Celtic and Rangers 1872 will live long in the memory of most Celtic fans of my generation.

What happened to him had a Karmic element to it.

You reap what you sow, and all that.

Not long after the Pope’s visit to Scotland in September 2010, there was the Dougie Dougie incident in October 2010.

You can read the full details of it on the Celtic Wiki via the link provided.

It’s also in Paul Larkin’s documentary.

The then Celtic Chief Executive, John Reid, pursued this particular incident with a vigour that has sadly been lacking at Celtic football club since then.

His quote from that time was on the money:

“We’re not asking for special treatment, but neither will we be treated as less than anyone else. Those days are gone.“

For the last nearly 15 years or so, you’d be hard pressed to believe that those days are actually gone.

Simply because the current Celtic board does nothing whatsoever to defend the club when incidents of this ilk crop up again, and again.

It is hard to know what, if any pursuit, was instigated by the board in the recent incident involving Alan Muir.

Whether there was any contact between Silent Mike and the SFA, we’ll never know for sure.

In reality, Muir dug his own grave by disallowing Celtic’s perfectly legitimate equalising goal against Hibs at Easter road in late February.

That farcical decision made his position untenable.

And no matter what way the SFA tried to spin this, there was only ever going to be one outcome available to them in the aftermath of that decision.

Muir has paid the ultimate price for what can only be construed as blatant cheating.

The coercion of his assistant VAR at the time, only served to further compound the fact that it was cheating.

His call resulted in Celtic losing that game.

If the equaliser had been allowed to stand, Celtic may have had the momentum to push on and possibly win the game.

As a result, the title would probably be wrapped up by now.

But that is neither here nor there in the broader scheme of things.

We’re probably going to wrap the title up this weekend, so Muir only delayed the inevitable.

At the cost of his job.

Was his hatred of Celtic really worth that much to him?

You have to wonder if he sees it that way?

Or whether his fate as a result of his actions will serve to only further deepen his hatred of Celtic?

In the end, justice was served.

But it was a justice that was unavoidable for the SFA.

Had there been a way to avoid the only outcome available to them, they would have found it.

You know it and I know it.

Things like this are systematic of Scottish football.

There is very much a mentality of, “Well, if I hadn’t been caught, I’d have gotten away with it.”

You know?

I’m only sorry because I got caught.

In my headline, I posited the question; what would happen if Celtic actually applied the pressure they should to the SFA?

And believe you me, we have the grounds to do this on a regular basis.

Simply because of the culture and hatred of our club that is mired in the Scottish game.

Yet we have only four major incidents of note in almost forty years where the SFA and referees have been brought to task?

Let that sink in.

Four major incidents in forty years.

Why is it that the custodians of our club will not defend our club?

Especially when it is their job to do so?

Why is it always left to us, the Celtic bloggers, to defend our club, and to call out our board on their inadequacies?

They had no real hand, act or part in the sacking of Alan Muir.

In reality, it was Alan Muir who sacked Alan Muir.

But where was their voice when we were on the end of such a scandalous decision?

As ever, only they can answer that question.

Only they can give their reasons as to why they will not defend this club to the level they should.

It is gutless behaviour.

Sadly, it will never change while they are incharge.

But just imagine the powerhouse we could be if we had custodians who fought every injustice we faced?

Then the SFA would be running scared.

Across the city, there is a club that is coming apart at the seams.

Yet they fight every perceived injustice their club faces with the vigour of a Lion fighting for it’s territory.

There’s a reason the SFA runs scared from them.

And while our board might laugh at them most of the time, their defence mechanism is something they could learn a thing or two from.

Maybe it’s the very reason they don’t defend our club?

Because they don’t want to be like them.

Or they could just be gutless.

I guess we’ll never know for sure, will we?