Brendan Rodgers: Sectarianism will deter top managers from coming

Brendan Rodgers has called for a “zero tolerance” approach to sectarianism in Scottish football and warned it could discourage leading managers from taking jobs in the country.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. Picture: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images

The Celtic boss has expressed his dismay at the high profile re-emergence of the issue over the past week, with sectarian abuse directed at Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke and the Rugby Park club’s striker Kris Boyd.

Rodgers, who grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles before leaving home at the age of 16, believes greater education and more effective sanctions are needed to address the Catholic-Protestant narrative which continues to blight the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers.

When added to the recent negative publicity surrounding artificial pitches and refereeing standards, Rodgers is concerned at the damage sectarianism will do to Scottish football’s image.

“There is every possibility it could put other managers off from coming up here,” he said. “It’s on top of the other stuff, in terms of pitches and quality of refereeing, then you throw this into everything.

“You start to question it and say ‘Well, what is the attraction [of Scottish football]? The whole Catholic-Protestant thing has only come back into my life since I’ve come to Scotland, that’s the reality. But, listen, it’s about education. It is about trying to put sanctions in place to stop all of this. But it is a challenge.

“Things have moved on in Northern Ireland, but what you still have in Glasgow is this big showpiece every week with Celtic or Rangers playing at home. You maybe can’t keep it all in. You have a wee bit from Northern Ireland who come over to the games and that can build.

“But it’s about education, it’s about persistence and it’s about trying to drive home the message that it’s not acceptable. There has to be zero tolerance.

“I feel sad for Steve Clarke. I worked with him at Chelsea and he’s a really good guy as well as a really good coach. To have to go down the route of what happened to him this week is tough for him.

“It’s hard, because as managers you are going through a lot anyway. There’s a lot of stress, pressure and anxiety. Your family get lots of issues and anxieties around it. So to add that on top, it’s not very pleasing especially for a former Scottish international player who is highly respected.”