They went after us, now it's Linfield's turn

[Dietspam 733]

What started against us as the banning of this song, led to us playing in the lowest division, after they campaigned to destroy us.

Beware Linfield; stand and fight them.

Yeah, that's where it all went wrong.

[willieboyrfc 11]

Does this apply to bands that may play the tune during marching season in ulster ??

[Phil 1,150]

"This will include other songs sung to the same tune, any use of the tune itself, and will also include those versions using words that may not be seen to be inherently sectarian in their nature."

This surely would not hold up in court. They're saying any use of the tune is an offence! Utter bullshit and should be challenged all the way.

Time we all learned the words to Marching through Georgia then and called their bluff

[weejoseph 2,773]

What started against us as the banning of this song, led to us playing in the lowest division, after they campaigned to destroy us.

Beware Linfield; stand and fight them.

Are you high?

[Fools Gold 488]

Lmao, ban a tune? What the fuck is that all about?

So, you could sing the original 'Marching through Georgia' and get prosecuted for it????

Jesus wept....

[Phil 1,150]

Does this apply to bands that may play the tune during marching season in ulster ??

No.

The tune is "Marching through Georgia" and I believe, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, that the Ulster Scot immigrants played a part in it's origins.

[Buggleskelly 3,772]

And it's ok for terrorist murderer to dine with the Queen !

This , sadly this.

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

I'm no Linfield fan but this is bollocks,this is victimisation of Linfield FC.That bastard Celtic wannabee club called Cliftonville FC get away with murder,constantly singing 'If you hate the Orange B'tards,clap your hands',this was even televised but no action taken.Their list of sectarian rebel songs is almost endless but nothing is ever done.Ofcourse if your former Chairman is vice-President of FIFA what would you expect?

There's a law in NI football that says that banners and flags are only acceptable if their colours are pertaining to that of the Club they represent,Cliftonville wear Red & White but they are allowed to carry Irish Tri-colours everywhere,they also has a history of trouble at grounds they visit but are rarely punished.

Linfield must fight this bigotted ruling.

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

I was reading the officiial statement on the Linfield website and it said this:

"Finally, the Club has read with some interest the statement from Cliftonville FC and the local press coverage concerning the Appeal decision. We would join in expressing our concern that the current IFA Disciplinary process is not fit for purpose in what we are constantly being told is a “post-conflict society”."

I had a quick look on the net but couldnt find any statement from cliftonville

anyone know what they are refferring to?

[rangersfc77 170]

I was reading the officiial statement on the Linfield website and it said this:

"Finally, the Club has read with some interest the statement from Cliftonville FC and the local press coverage concerning the Appeal decision. We would join in expressing our concern that the current IFA Disciplinary process is not fit for purpose in what we are constantly being told is a “post-conflict society”."

I had a quick look on the net but couldnt find any statement from cliftonville

anyone know what they are refferring to?

Keep digging it sounds interesting

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

Linfield also stated:

The IFA’s Appeals Board has relied upon the UEFA Appeals decision against Rangers from May 2006 as attached.

so yes the way Rangers were dealt with seems to have set a precedent for these pricks to use again and again

see link:

http://www.linfieldfc.com/pdfs/8393_rangers_vs_uefa.pdf

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

Keep digging it sounds interesting

i'll go have a look at the official cuntsville website now

hope i dont catch any diseases from viewing those filthy buggers

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

here you go muckers:

Club Statement

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Recently, the Club was fined £3,250 by the Irish Football Association Disciplinary Committee for alleged incidents at a

County Antrim Shield game against Linfield.

The Club appealed the fine to the IFA Appeals Board. It has allowed our Appeal and rescinded all fines imposed on

our Club. It cleared Cliftonville FC completely of all the allegations made by the IFA Disciplinary Committee and it also

accepted that there had been failings in the approach taken by the IFA Disciplinary Committee.

The Club welcomes the verdict of the IFA Appeals Board and wishes to place on record its thanks for the manner in

which the appeal was dealt with. The Club also wishes to acknowledge its appreciation of the time and effort put into

this Appeal by Director David Begley.

Cliftonville FC also endorses the additional comments of the IFA Appeals Board regarding such issues. We trust that

in dealing with all future disciplinary cases the IFA will address the procedural flaws of the IFA Disciplinary Committee

actions that were highlighted by this case.

The Club would urge the IFA and the football community here to pause and take stock of how best to move forward on

this and related issues. Irish League football, like society here in general, has made massive strides in recent years.

No other sport brings so many people from diverse backgrounds together. Inappropriate songs, chants, etc. are now

much less common than in the past, due in significant part to the efforts of clubs, often with little or no assistance, to

educate and encourage fans to modify their behaviour.

Before assessing potential breaches of the Disciplinary Code we would urge the IFA to put these in the correct context

and consider the efforts of clubs. Where clubs have taken all reasonable, preventative measures, it is surely unfair to

punish them for what is essentially a societal problem. We would ask the IFA to instead devote tangible resources to

helping clubs address this issue with their supporters by direct engagement with them and indeed with clubs.

We would also call on those politicians, who are always quick to criticise football over such issues, and those others

who chose to publically comment on the matter, to realise that football clubs cannot cure what they themselves have

failed to resolve.

[BILLYBOY50 1,638]

So every other club such as Man U chelsea hearts Dundee ect are ok to sing this song but

Big bad rangers and now linfield can't this can't

Be right this is a fucking disgrace I hope they fight

It all the way. it's they big bad proddies so it is couldn't fucking make this shit up.

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

ok so looking at the fenians offical statement wee see they had a successful appeal against the imposed IFA fine same as linfield

Here's part of Linfields statement:

"On Monday night the Board of Directors of Linfield FC met for the first time since the successful appeal against the IFA’s decision to fine us £3,000.00 arising from the County Antrim Shield match against Cliftonville in October 2013. The Board has now had the opportunity to reflect at length on the full written decision of the IFA’s Appeal Committee."

What I dont see in the Cliftonville statement is any mention of songs being banned

yet Linfield have been told that Billy Boys is now banned.

Are they trying to tell me cliftonville didnt sing anything sectarian?

nah there's something very wrong going on here and I dont believe both sets of fans are being treated the same with regard to implementing IFA policy

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

yet read this report:

'Sectarian songs' in Solitude silence

A two-minute silence in remembrance of people killed in world conflicts at the match between Linfield and Cliftonville was not observed by some fans.

IFA Premiership action Gallery

Gallery Index »

Footage of the incident, which happened at Solitude on Saturday, has appeared online.

It shows a small number of Cliftonville fans singing allegedly sectarian songs, booing and jeering during what was meant to be a moment of silence and reflection.

The announcer had called for people in the stadium to respect the wishes of those who wanted to observe the silence - but that didn't happen.

Linfield supporter and Progressive Unionist Party leader Billy Hutchinson said the behaviour was "totally out of order".

He continued: "Cliftonville had announced there was going to be a two minute silence for all the people who have died in conflict around the world - it wasn't just for British soldiers or British people but for all people.

"As the players and referees lined up we heard a number of people starting singing songs which could be described as sectarian and jeering and it was totally out of order."

Mr Hutchinson met with the chairman of Cliftonville, Gerard Lawlor, on Monday.

"Gerard assures me he will continue to be committed to bringing the club forward but he wants me to recognise that the problems are societal - I recognise that and think he needs to be given support by the IFA and others," he said.

"I'm happy that the club will take action and do all within their power but it's very difficult when you have a handful of fans coming along to be out of order."

Cliftonville did not respond to calls and emails from UTV on Monday.

Linfield, meanwhile, said it was making no comment at the moment - over the weekend manager David Jeffrey said he did not blame Cliftonville Football Club for the disruption.

The Irish Football Association said it is waiting for the match observer's report before making any comment.

[Helicopter Sundae 6,004]

We should campaign for clubs to only fly the flag of the country they are in.

This would put the cat amongst the pigeons with the "foreign flag" wavers.

By the way, are there any clubs elsewhere that fly the flag of a foreign country as Septic and Hivs do?

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

obviously thats an old news report but shows that their fans sing "sectarian" stuff too

[rangersfc77 170]

Well i am thinking a lot more attention should be payed to the chants at Septicville as UEFA clearly stated on forms of extreme political chants will be tolerated. I do not believe it will take long to find the guilty chants

[Christchurch Rangers 1,229]

Well i am thinking a lot more attention should be payed to the chants at Septicville as UEFA clearly stated on forms of extreme political chants will be tolerated. I do not believe it will take long to find the guilty chants

perhaps there is no political will to follow up on cliftonville tho...

[TheBluebells 6,898]

The O'ffended mob in overdrive again.

That wouldn't stand up in a court of law but do their club have the balls to fight these things, unlike our own?

[Helicopter Sundae 6,004]

The politics in Ulster are very different to the politics of Scotland.

There, the PUL will fight like fuck, here nobody stood up for us. In fact in Holyrood one of the labour MSPs laughed at our plight.

And no doubt, the entire rest of that party did the same in private.

[denya 1,661]

I've always believed power in numbers works. Just every single person in the ground sing it in defiance and surely they can't arrest and charge every single person in the ground at the time. Let them know that their shit off-the-cuff laws wont be tolerated. Beginning to be one big nanny state over there now.

[IainB 599]

Here we go words to Marching Through Georgia, and BTW the EUFA ban towards Rangers also included all versions of the tune no matter the words. I would love to find a way for just the tune to get blared by every supporter at Ibrox, no singing just the tune and it though a portable device.

ring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song

Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along

Sing it as we used to sing it, 50,000 strong^[5]

While we were marching through Georgia.

Chorus

Hurrah! Hurrah! we bring the jubilee!^[6]

Hurrah! Hurrah! the flag that makes you free!

So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea

While we were marching through Georgia.

Verse 2

How the darkeys shouted when they heard the joyful sound

How the turkeys gobbled which our commissary found

How the sweet potatoes even started from the ground

While we were marching through Georgia.

Verse 3

Yes and there were Union men who wept with joyful tears,

When they saw the honored flag they had not seen for years;

Hardly could they be restrained from breaking forth in cheers,

While we were marching through Georgia.

Verse 4

"Sherman's dashing Yankee boys will never reach the coast!"

So the saucy rebels said and 'twas a handsome boast

Had they not forgot, alas! to reckon with the Host

While we were marching through Georgia.

Verse 5

So we made a thoroughfare for freedom and her train,

Sixty miles in latitude, three hundred to the main;

Treason fled before us, for resistance was in vain

While we were marching through Georgia.

[TAFKA 545]

"How the darkeys shouted" might give us a problem methinks

The Ibrox (and Linfield) PA guy should play the tune and be damned.

A tune cannot be offensive if the (supposedly) offensive words have been dropped.