Football versus Sectarianism

Scotland is a relatively small country, it is renowned over the world for its magnificent coastline, its dramatic landscapes and a bloody history of battles lost and battles won to differing invaders. Bagpipes and kilts, haggis and whisky, the thistle and the home of golf. Scotland is a proud nation, proud of our heritage and our culture, proud of our land, proud of our history that has made us who we are today. On the whole the population of Scotland are a friendly sociable bunch of people, always a kind word, always willing to help, always there when needed. But....there is a problem in Scotland and untill that problem is resolved, Scotland will never be the proud race that theyonce were. Religion has divided Scotland into two nations, on the one side are the Protestants and on the other are the catholics and that is where football, or as you call soccer, comes into frame. Glasgow Rangers Football Club have Protestant support and Glasgow Celtic Football Club have catholic support. When they both lay against each other it is called an 'old firm' match. When the teams play agianst one another you can almost physically see the hatred in the air, sectarian chants from both sides fill the air, religious bigotry at its worst, it is like walking into a cauldron of fire and it doesnt stop after the game is over. Each set of supporters verbally abuse each other with teasing, taunting, goading and more often than not many violent conflicts between the rival fans. There has been many deaths over the years before, during and after the old firm matches when rival supporters have attacked each other. This has been a major problem and has brought shame to Scottish football for many years. However... things are changing, football and Scotland as a whole are fighting to combat sectariansim and religious bigotry, we are getting tough on offenders and slowly minimizing the problem over years to come. It starts in schools where children are being taight to respect the religion of tothers in various ways, relgious and sectarian chants are banned from football grounds and anyone caught using or participating in the chants can be banned from visiting a football game in Scotland for life. Although the hatred is still there at any 'old firm game' there is now much less violence and most games are played without fatal incidents and the only battle that takes place is where it should have been all along... on the football park.