Clarke is still at it – even after being called out by Stevie G

Steve Clarke (yes, here we go again) has today once again committed embarrassing hypocrisy with a shameless brass neck by aggressively condemning sectarian abuse of the likes aimed at him, but completely glossing over the same abuse Kris Boyd received from Celtic fans last weekend.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard rightly called Clarke out, and asked him why he hadn’t roundly condemned this behaviour at Rugby Park, and Clarke responded thus:

“When I did the press [on Sunday], I didn’t know Kris had been hit by a coin and I didn’t know there had been chanting against him. I spoke [on Wednesday] about the majority having to speak up and shout down the minority, so I think that’s addressing it.”

As you can see, ‘think that’s addressing it’ is about as explicit as condemnation can get, as opposed to:

“I’ve had so many messages from people in England saying ‘I saw you on the telly, I hope you’re OK. What was the reason?’ They don’t understand what we’re talking about up here and that’s a sad reflection on us as a society. Everybody has to take some responsibility and everybody has to try and work together to change. It won’t change overnight but the fact it’s back in the headlines, we’re back talking about it, is sad in one way but positive in another way. There’s been advances but you still see instances, still occasions when it comes out.”

Which is obviously much less passionate…

Clarke’s two-facedness on this is getting tiresome. Either evenly condemn it all, or don’t condemn any of it. Steven Gerrard rightly spoke against those who embarrass Rangers’ name by resorting to this kind of abuse, and he spared no quarter in doing so. But Clarke glossed over Celtic fans doing it to Kris Boyd, not once, but twice.

If Clarke is serious about wanting this kind of poison in society to stop, he has to make sure he doesn’t just want the blue half of it to stop only.