THE Old Firm football clubs, Celtic and Rangers, should promote a campaign to break the link between aggession and football, according to an article in today’s The Scottish Sun on Sunday.
In an article accompanying a powerful report on how the result of the match can result in an increase in domestic violence, psychologist, Dr Mairead Tagg, writes: “In this [Old Firm] game, some men’s identity is so tied up with their team that if that team loses they take it incredibly personally.
“It’s like someone has humiliated them so they vent that rage and frustration on their partner.
“Part of this has to be about how Celtic and Rangers portray their view of masculinity.
“They should be saying to their fans, ‘Real men take it on the chin’, and it doesn’t help when you have football managers and players shouting, screaming, bawling and getting totally worked up when things don’t go their way.
“It creates that culture of aggression, hostility and violence and we really need a strong message from the clubs saying domestic violence is not acceptable, real men don’t.
“I would love to see a ‘Real Men Don’t’ campaign by the clubs. And I’d like to see players be more appropriate in what they display on the pitch.”
Today, the clubs are playing each other in a match that could see Celtic clinch the league title.
