November 20 – England fans have been criticised, and the FA has apologised on their behalf, following provocative chanting during this week’s prestige friendly with Scotland.
Some of the 5,000 away fans were heard to chant anti-IRA songs for long periods of the first half.
England are due to play in Dublin next June for the first time since crowd trouble caused the referee to abandon a game between the two sides after 27 minutes in 1995.
FA officials made contact with the England supporters’ band at half-time in Glasgow to ask them to stop playing accompanying music to the chants.
An FA spokesman said: “We apologise for any offence caused by a section of the England support at the match with Scotland. The FA does not condone inappropriate and offensive chanting and intends to meet with supporters’ groups to discuss the wider issues.
“We have consistently urged supporters to show respect and not to chant songs that could be regarded as insulting to others – particularly from a religious or political perspective.”
Leading anti-discrimination campaigner Piara Powar, chair of the FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) Network, called on the FA to make sure it does not happen again.
“When England play (against the Republic of Ireland) it is always potentially an edgy game so it would be useful if England got it right before the game,” he said.
“The Ireland situation is being healed. People there have been working very hard in the north and south to address the troubles they had in the 1970s and 1980s and beyond and then England fans come along, the band get involved, and there are songs which are completely irrelevant.
“Presumably they were singing them last night because they were in Celtic Park and because Celtic has a strong Irish fan base.”
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