Sir Sean blasts football sectarianism

Published on Tuesday 19 August 2008 10:42

SIR Sean Connery has hit out at sectarianism in football, telling how his own allegiance has changed over the years from Celtic to Rangers.

In his memoirs, Being a Scot, currently being serialised in a national newspaper, Sir Sean said: "Why, as a once Celtic supporter, with its strong Catholic-Irish allegiances, should I cheer on a team known to attract extreme Protestants? Well religious affiliations in sport mean nothing to me.

"I deplore the bigotry of sectarianism that still blights soccer in Scotland, especially in clashes between Celtic, who field the emerald green of Catholic Ireland, against the blue of Protestant Rangers. Let's have the referee raise the red card to all bigots, be they blue or green, and send such mindless prejudice off the field for ever."

Sir Sean also reveals how he cultivated his distinctive voice with the help of a reel-to-reel tape recorder so he could hear how he sounded, softening his Scottish accent without losing it entirely.

He writes: "Of course I wanted to be clearly understood. I practised articulating my words more distinctly. Yet at the same time I wanted to retain the personality of my own voice and to be honest to my Edinburgh roots."

The launch is at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Monday.