Row over Celtic Trust head's claims

Celtic supporters' clubs on both sides of the Irish border today denounced the head of the Celtic Trust who created a storm by defending the singing of IRA songs by fans on the terraces.

University lecturer Jeanette Findlay - chair of the Trust which represents small shareholders in the Glasgow club - said that chants about the IRA had a historical basis for a club founded to help the poor Irish immigrants to Scotland.

The club distanced itself from the comments, saying they were 'totally unrepresentative of the Celtic support'.

They were backed by an umbrella group representing around 100 Celtic supporters clubs north and south of the border.

The Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs represents clubs based in each of Ireland's four provinces.

But the Association said it was opposed to sectarianism, while continuing to celebrate Celtic's Irish roots.

'The Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs have been engaged with Celtic and the Scottish Executive to eradicate sectarianism from Scottish football, and will continue to support this initiative,' said a spokesman.

He added: 'The AICSC is always keen to preserve Celtic's proud Irish roots. And in doing so are a non-political, non-sectarian organisation fully supportive of Celtic's social charter and club mission statement.'

Ms Findlay sparked a row when she made her comments in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live - on the day that the latest football anti-bigotry initiative was launched at Hampden Park.

She said: 'The club was founded to help the poor Irish immigrants to Scotland. Many of the supporters are descendants of these people. They may take a particular view of history, what happened in Ireland, which is different to many other people. So I don't call those pro-terrorist songs.'

She said that the chants were 'songs from a war of independence going back over a hundred years'.

She also said: 'I think what history tells us is that it's actually facile to say that politics and sport will ever be separated. Throughout history, sports events are used often as a means of expressing political views, political identity.'

Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said he was opposed to the singing of such songs at football matches.

He praised the efforts of the Scottish Executive and soccer chiefs in trying to stamp out sectarian chanting at grounds.

Speaking during a visit to Ballymena, Co Antrim, he said: 'From what I know Scotland has been very - and a lot of its clubs have been very - forthcoming in trying to root out sectarianism.'

The Fianna Fail minister added: 'Any singing of those type of songs I wouldn't encourage at all. In fact in the eircom League they are leading a massive campaign, including my own club Dundalk, called Sport Against Racism. In fact, I am launching it next week.

'If you think in the context of 168 nationalities living in the Republic of Ireland today, to talk about one side or the other is a bit passe at this stage when you see we have a completely ethnic, completely multicultural society that we have to grapple with.'