Going to be a lot of championship clubs getting fined next season. I would guess at around 23 of them.
In the majority of quarters the IRA are reviled irrespective of the cause they support. As recent as 2013, claims were laid that it was no longer a Paramilitary Organisation, but because of its involvement in raising funds by using " iffy" practices , it could with some legitimacy be described as a criminal organisation. If it can be proved that it is McLean, the football authorities must surely come down very hard on him.?
The IRA were / are a vile terrorist group so anti IRA songs shouldn't be the problem, it's when they cross the line and become anti Catholic (religiously sectarian) songs they become a problem. Obviously singing anti IRA songs at a catholic player just because he is Cathlolic is a problem and is wrong.
Politics aside, who even knows anyone who has a balaclava like that? Why would you involve your own kids in something so stupid?
Yes it's true. I waited until this was proved until I passed comment. A post which (jokingly from his point of view) shows a terrorist telling children about terrorists who happily killed and mutilated children in the troubles. Quite a few on here call these terrorists 'freedom fighters' by the way. They certainly 'freed' the limbs of many an innocent child, that's for sure.
It is a pretty stupid thing to do for sure. I don't think two wrongs make a right in terms of the chanting but this will certainly not do him any favours.
When I first saw the picture, I didn’t feel the balaclava looked right and immediately thought it had been photoshopped or something like. But if that was the case you would have thought he would have come out and said or at very least Stoke would have. Edit, clearly is true cos Stoke have fined him for it.
Clearly an extremely misjudged and stupid joke. It doesn’t excuse those that abuse him from the stands though.
Does it excuse those who abuse him for being an IRA supporter though? Not those who abuse his race, nationality or religion but those who abuse his support of a terrorist organisation?
There are plenty of Muslim comedians who make jokes or do skits pretending to be terrorists, it doesn't make them a terrorist though. I think he was probably trying to be funny but it was in very poor taste. Who knows maybe he is a raging IRA sympathiser but I wouldn't necessarily draw from this stunt that he is.
No I wouldn't assume it from that stunt alone but the difference is that a Muslim comedian tends to make the joke because of how far fetched it is, McLean is an IRA supporter who has supported them in many ways. I don't think that his Instagram was a joke at all. I think it was him making a point
His club have fined him https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...stoke-balaclava-history-lesson-post-instagram
Has he supported them before? I've never seen that? I've seen him explain why he wouldn't support the British Army due to them killing civilians from his estate. That's different to supporting the IRA if that's what you're referring to?
