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St Mirren In Contravention Of Fifa Law 4?


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For what it's worth, my view is that the adverts are not designed to indoctrinate impressionable Panda Club members or change the voting intentions of hardcore Saints supporters, but rather they give a wee bit of support to the local football club from community-minded organisations.

I might choose to have coffee and a sticky bun in a nearby café because I know the proprietor has the same affliction as I have, but I'm not going to embrace a left-wing lifestyle because a hoarding told me so.

I despise UKIP, but I would have no objection to SMFC taking their money. I would, however, object to advertisements promoting sectarian or extremist organisations. Neil Bibby - OK. Mujihadeen or Sons of Struth - no thanks.

From a legal point of view, you might be surprised how little of a f*uck I give.

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It's always interesting to see the level of hypocrisy that St Mirren supporters can get to, to defend the club.

I've shown beyond all doubt that in selling those four advertising boards around the ground St Mirren are in breach of their own Stadium Regulations where the "promotion or endorsement of ANY POLITICAL ORGANISATION is not permitted". I've also shown that the club could well be in contravention of FIFA's own rules regarding political advertising and slogans at football grounds.

Are St Mirren and those on here who would seek to defend the club guilty of discrimination? Is it only Scottish political slogans and advertising that is allowed around the stadium or would it be equally open to accepting money to promote and advertise political organisations from one or the other side of the Irish divide, or indeed from the various political organisations in the Middle East? Would the fans of the club happily accept business from a Conservative politician in the area? Indeed how would it feel if a UKIP or BNP candidate sought to buy advertising space around the stadium and the club accepted it? Are fans being hypocritical in turning a blind eye to the promotion of political organisations within their stadium whilst castigating Rangers and Celtic supporters for doing similar in their own stadiums?

As I've said I would hope the club would see sense and remove the offending advertising hoardings before the next home match.

Totally agree Stuart.

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Are fans being hypocritical in turning a blind eye to the promotion of political organisations within their stadium whilst castigating Rangers and Celtic supporters for doing similar in their own stadiums?

You have come on here and spouted some nonsense in the past, but that section above is ludicrous. There is an absolute world of difference between an advert for a local political party and the groups or causes supoorted by elements of the old firm support.

Oh and f**k off!

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I'm sure they could give out an award for the best description of an individual and the best instruction of the week.

It is most ironic that , the Moderators have done something about the poster you refer to , FTOF, but he manages to creep back , under a new guise , spreading more vile , negative shite about life , livingness and the universe. .

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You have come on here and spouted some nonsense in the past, but that section above is ludicrous. There is an absolute world of difference between an advert for a local political party and the groups or causes supoorted by elements of the old firm support.

Oh and f**k off!

Charming.

Thing is you know I'm right. St Mirren say that there is no place in a football ground for politics. They do so in their own Stadium Regulations.

The promotion or endorsement of ANY political organisation are not permitted within the Stadium or on the Club's property.

Yet within the stadium there is the club promoting the SNP and the Labour Party with FOUR separate advertising boards showing to all an sundry that so long as the political organisations are prepared to hand over a little bit of money to the club they'll waive all of their standards, their principles and their regulations.

Edited by Stuart Dickson
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The club are not promoting or endorsing any political agenda, they are selling advertising on a board, to promote or endorse, the advertising would be seen when players, managers etc are interviewed, our name or badge would also appear on the advertising. None of this happens. Also why would we promote or endorse to separate parties?

Well if you read the Stadium Regulations as laid out by the board of directors of St Mirren FC, it's quite clear in its instruction. The Stadium Regulations prohibit the promotion or endorsement of any political organisation within the stadium or on club property. It's irrelevant who is seen to be doing the endorsing or promoting. If you take in isolation the single board that bears George Adam's picture on it as an example it's quite clear that George Adam is not only promoting himself as an SNP politician, but he is also endorsing and promoting the SNP as a political party. That is in clear breach of the Stadium Regulations and as I've stated it's also highly likely that it's in contravention of UEFA and FIFA rules.

I hope St Mirren aren't stupid enough to leave themselves open on this issue and that the directors of the club act appropriately and remove the offending political banners before the clubs next home match.

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I think more than a few clubs will be worried then. Many grounds I've been to have them. Didn't Motherwell have a board for the Senior Citizens Party at one time?

Given St Mirren have left SNP and other political adverts up during UEFA U21 games, but turned over booze and betting ones, I suspect the authorities aren't that bothered. It's a stretch to say they haven't noticed given that St Johnstone got done for a Palestinian flag- a yellow SNP hording at the corner flag is a bit more noticable.

Given its paid for advertisements, I suspect that is fine...

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I think more than a few clubs will be worried then. Many grounds I've been to have them. Didn't Motherwell have a board for the Senior Citizens Party at one time?

Given St Mirren have left SNP and other political adverts up during UEFA U21 games, but turned over booze and betting ones, I suspect the authorities aren't that bothered. It's a stretch to say they haven't noticed given that St Johnstone got done for a Palestinian flag- a yellow SNP hording at the corner flag is a bit more noticable.

Given its paid for advertisements, I suspect that is fine...

I doubt that the fact that it's paid for makes it legitimate. I know it's a different level of the game within Scotland but I know of at least two instances in Lanarkshire where Juvenile Football clubs were prevented from accepting shirt sponsorship from their local politician because it was deemed to be political advertising.

If you notice more political advertising around other Scottish Football grounds please feel free to pass on the details. It's not something I've noticed at any ground until Saturday when I spotted it on TV. That's possibly more a statement on how poor my observation skills are rather than a fact that other clubs aren't also carrying political adverts, but if you forward it on I'll be more than happy to take them to task on it too.

Since you've specifically mentioned Motherwell I had a look at their articles and policies at their ground and it appears that unlike St Mirren they haven't prohibited items advertising or promoting political organisations from their stadium which is interesting because they are one club that I do know had a Motherwell fan ejected from the stadium and charged by the police for displaying a Union Flag with the logo "UVF" written on it. If they are selling political advertising around their stadium then they would be displaying crass hypocrisy in my opinion.

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It may be open to interpretation but I think that it's highly irregular that a supporter carrying a flag with a political message written on it will have that confiscated, and may well be removed from the stadium. Yet inside the stadium the club has sold political advertising on at least four advertising boards.

Anyway regardless of whether it contravenes the laws of the game or not I do think that politics should be kept out of sport. All the national and international sporting bodies appear to agree on this issue. If I were a St Mirren supporter I would be angered at the pitch surround being littered with political slogans and adverts.

Also found this.

In the clubs own Stadium Regulations Under Section 11 it states

It's a shame the club cannot stick to those rules themselves, thereby setting themselves up for people like me to point out the gross hypocrisy on display at the club. I guess if you've got a little bit of money to spend the club will happily set aside the rules it applies to other customers.

I have to admit that I've been uncomfortable for a while that we have adverts with Political names and slogans ever since they were put up. The sane members of society (which appear to be few) say that Religion shouldn't be mixed with sport - quite right in my opinion. I feel the same attitude should be taken with Politics and sport. As Stuart points out above even our Club's Stadium Regulations point towards excluding Politics from its grounds so why on earth do we have these advertising boards giving publicity to such organisations?

Edited by iTony
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It's always interesting to see the level of hypocrisy that St Mirren supporters can get to, to defend the club.

I've shown beyond all doubt that in selling those four advertising boards around the ground St Mirren are in breach of their own Stadium Regulations where the "promotion or endorsement of ANY POLITICAL ORGANISATION is not permitted". I've also shown that the club could well be in contravention of FIFA's own rules regarding political advertising and slogans at football grounds.

Are St Mirren and those on here who would seek to defend the club guilty of discrimination? Is it only Scottish political slogans and advertising that is allowed around the stadium or would it be equally open to accepting money to promote and advertise political organisations from one or the other side of the Irish divide, or indeed from the various political organisations in the Middle East? Would the fans of the club happily accept business from a Conservative politician in the area? Indeed how would it feel if a UKIP or BNP candidate sought to buy advertising space around the stadium and the club accepted it? Are fans being hypocritical in turning a blind eye to the promotion of political organisations within their stadium whilst castigating Rangers and Celtic supporters for doing similar in their own stadiums?

As I've said I would hope the club would see sense and remove the offending advertising hoardings before the next home match.

Well, they've already got a board advertising the brown shirts, why not go the full hog and advertise some black ones too? jerry.gif

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I doubt that the fact that it's paid for makes it legitimate. I know it's a different level of the game within Scotland but I know of at least two instances in Lanarkshire where Juvenile Football clubs were prevented from accepting shirt sponsorship from their local politician because it was deemed to be political advertising.

If you notice more political advertising around other Scottish Football grounds please feel free to pass on the details. It's not something I've noticed at any ground until Saturday when I spotted it on TV. That's possibly more a statement on how poor my observation skills are rather than a fact that other clubs aren't also carrying political adverts, but if you forward it on I'll be more than happy to take them to task on it too.

Since you've specifically mentioned Motherwell I had a look at their articles and policies at their ground and it appears that unlike St Mirren they haven't prohibited items advertising or promoting political organisations from their stadium which is interesting because they are one club that I do know had a Motherwell fan ejected from the stadium and charged by the police for displaying a Union Flag with the logo "UVF" written on it. If they are selling political advertising around their stadium then they would be displaying crass hypocrisy in my opinion.

To be fair, Stuart, I did notice on television a couple of "Yes" adverts at grounds leading up to the Referendum. The teams would put it in their own colours - for example, Hamilton Accies had a white background with a red "Yes" written on it. There was one at Albion Rovers ground when I went to the pre-season friendly. I didn't like those either but didn't express anything as it wasn't my team's ground. Sorry I didn't take pictures, I wish I had!

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To be fair, Stuart, I did notice on television a couple of "Yes" adverts at grounds leading up to the Referendum. The teams would put it in their own colours - for example, Hamilton Accies had a white background with a red "Yes" written on it. There was one at Albion Rovers ground when I went to the pre-season friendly. I didn't like those either but didn't express anything as it wasn't my team's ground. Sorry I didn't take pictures, I wish I had!

St Mirren park had a couple of YES ad boards!

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Let's face it, this is the usual turgid nonsense thought up by a poor lost soul who has nothing better to do with his time than troll the fans website of a club he claims not to support with overly long, tedious and bitter rubbish. Just think about how sad that is for a moment.......

Why do folk keep encouraging him?

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