Anger at young Hearts fan’s banner baiting Hibs

Stewart Frazer, from Edinburgh, posted a picture of the nursery-age child at Saturday’s League Cup semi-final clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Easter Road holding a banner saying: “Dad this place is a s***hole. 5-1.”

The image – which was shared on Facebook page “Hearts are my religion and Tynecastle is my church” – became an internet hit, earning more than 800 likes from amused supporters.

The “5-1” figure is a reference to Hearts’ Scottish Cup final win over their rivals last May.

Many people have posted comments hailing the youngster as a “legend” for the provocative pose, but the controversial image also drew criticism for allowing a young fan to be exposed to such inappropriate language.

A spokeswoman for Parents Network Scotland, which runs courses for parents, said: “The boy probably wasn’t even aware of the implications of the banner, which makes it more worrying.

“As parents we are our children’s first teachers and as such we have to model positive behaviour. Children learn what they are taught and live their life in such a way. In today’s society we hope our children will be more tolerant of others and this is the opposite of what we want to see.

“Our kids are the next generation and whilst it’s great to be competitive and have friendly banter, we want them to lead the way to better lives.”

The picture was posted by Mr Frazer on Monday and has been shared 150 times.

It comes after a barrage of japes by Hearts fans celebrating their all-Edinburgh derby triumph that have swamped online fans forums.

Mike Riley, chairman of the Hibs Supporters’ Association, said he expected banter, but the latest jibe was a step too far.

He said: “It’s a wee bit played out now when you’ve got a wee kid posing with a sign like that.

“We’re doing the Hibs Supporters’ Club up right now and when we received the urinal from the wholesalers the box had ‘5-1’ written all over it.

“I understand it’s banter and it’s part and parcel with football, but the whole thing seems never-ending and what’s really worrying is that there seems to be a nastiness and bitterness creeping in to the rivalry which didn’t exist in the past.”

Among the 51 comments posted beneath the image, Gerry Campbell, a Hearts fan from Glasgow, said: “Great parenting skills”, while Darren Reid remarked: “I wouldn’t think of teaching a very young boy that sort of language.”

But the boy’s father defended the picture, writing: “Simple bit of friendly banter between me and my four-year-old boy.

“Grow up and get a sense of humour! We used to be able to do that in this city until a lot of [Hibs fans] started getting bitter. I wouldn’t mind one little bit if a Hibs fan and his son did the same!”

Up for the cup taunts

THE controversial image comes after a long line of taunts from Hearts fans citing the Scottish Cup final win over their city rivals.

From Babestation presenters to police constables, there has been almost no escape from the jibes of the Hearts support, who have so far sneaked the hand gesture into live TV broadcasts, newspapers and even holiday snaps at the Arctic Circle.

One cheeky fan even flashed the offending scoreline behind the backs of Hibs boss Pat Fenlon and club chairman Rod Petrie.

Earlier this month, Mr Petrie took a swipe at Hearts fans saying Hibs fans don’t have enough fingers to count their 7-0 and 6-2 victories over the Tynecastle club.