I MUST respond to the letter by Mr Greig of Bishopton (May 2) regarding the SFA allocation of tickets for the World Cup.

Of course he is disappointed at not receiving World Cup tickets but he should remember that the root cause of his disappointment lies not with Marjorie Nimmo or the SFA's committee members who decided the allocation policy. The Scotland games will be attended by the French, whose passion rests with the oval ball, and corporate freeloaders because of the greed of FIFA and the racism of the French organising committee.

Mr Greig argues that Scotland fans who attend every game, be they at home or in some far-flung place, are no more loyal than those who attend the odd home game.

He argues that to give priority to supporters who go to the ends of the earth following their team discriminates against poorer supporters. He then argues that he and the other stay-at-homes should have been given an equal chance of obtaining tickets by allocating on a ''logical'' first-come-first-served basis.

I can knock out the first two assertions easily. I have travelled to practically every Scotland away game over the last few years. Those who travel are the most loyal diehard Scotland fans. It is silly to suggest otherwise. If Mr Greig made the effort to go on these trips he would also know these fans are rarely the most well off. Many travel on a shoestring, sometimes for days overland. Others work daft hours to afford it or make other sacrifices. Mr Greig says that some in the Travel Club did not travel to qualifying games in order to save for the World Cup. How did they know we were even going to be there?

Finally what does he mean by distributing tickets on a first-come-first-served basis? Does he mean priority to those who have been in the travel club longest regardless of whether they have been to a game? (Age discrimination). Does he mean priority to those living in the West End of Glasgow who could get to Park Gardens quickest? (Geographical discrimination). Or does he think a postal/telephone lottery like that of the French organisers would have been better? Most football clubs reward their most loyal fans when it comes to big games. Priority is given to those fans who have spent the most time and money attending the most games. It is easy for me to support that SFA line on this matter because I benefited from it. I would though have been sorely disappointed to have missed out to ''supporters'' who surface every few years to cherry pick the glamour away games only to disappear again just

as quickly. The fans I do have sympathy for are those who went to the away games and did not obtain tickets through the travel club and those who could not attend due to some factor like family illness. I will be doing everything I can to help them out.

I am normally a stern critic of the SFA. Although they might have given us the criteria a little sooner like back in December, on this occasion I think they got it 100% right.

A J MacGregor,

348 West Princes Street,

Woodlands,

Glasgow.

q SO Hibs are relegated. It could have been Dundee United, Aberdeen, or any of the other teams outside the Old Firm, as all these teams are in the relegation frame from the first game of the season in a premier division set-up of only 10 teams. Games are played at a fast and furious pace with no place for the skilled type of player Scotland used to mass produce. With only 10 teams you need relegation like a hole in the head!

A slightly larger league with no relegation must be adopted. If, after a few seasons other clubs show aspirations in terms of ability, increased dates and ground improvements, a vote could be taken to allow them entry to the premier division and get rid of any team which has not been coming up to standard.

A South American-style set-up of two leagues per season could be adopted, with a grand final game between the winners. The League Cup would be abandoned were this to happen. With such a league set-up and an enlightened youth policy, Scottish football could once again be a force to be reckoned with.

A R Wood,

13 Morningside Court,

Edinburgh.

q COME 4.45pm today, Fergus McCann may rue the day he disputed terms with Pierre Van Hooydonk and Paolo Di Canio. Celtic's, inability to score more than once in their last two matches has left them with an extremely difficult last fixture against St Johnstone.

If they succeed, and I along with thousands of Celtic supporters hope they do, then Wim Jansen deserves a new and generous extension to his contact without delay. The uncertainty over his future has unsettled the team more than their injuries.

If we fail, please let's have no-one from the Parkhead establishment telling devastated Celtic supporters to ''be patient.'' We have been hearing that for at least the last eight years and it is time for honesty. Something like: ''We knew Wim Jansen was two or three players short of a decent team and we apologise to Celtic fans for not providing him with the necessary resources. We thought a great stadium came first.''

Iain Macrae,

6/8 York Place,

Perth.

q ONCE again I watch ithe efforts of my team, Celtic, to win the premier title in utter despair. They are hampered to a great extent by their own inadequacies but maddeningly even more so by officials who are supposed to be impartial. Already I can detect the knee-jerk reaction of ''paranoia'' by people who do not know the proper meaning of that word. Celtic supporters do not suffer from a persecution complex; the club is simply persecuted.

In recent matches a referee played four minutes of ''injury'' time when there was none; the same man allowed a few seconds when there had been a lengthy stoppage due to a series injury to a Celtic player; a Celtic player was adjudged to be offside when he ran from his own half to score against Hibernian; in the Dunfermline match a clear penalty was denied. These are merely the most recent unfair decisions affecting the club; and no, the breaks do not even themselves when this club is concerned.

The reason for this anti-Celtic bias? It is understandable to an extent: the Catholic Irish origins of the club, supporters who still occasionally sing about the IRA and more regularly sing a song about Irish deportees of the last century. Mr Fergus McCann has striven manfully to change the ethos with his ''Bhoys Against Bigotry'' campaign but I feel that he was aiming at the wrong targets.

A solution to Celtic's problem? Surrounded by hostile forces, follow the example of their Belfast counterparts and give up, or less drastically, do as Derry City did and move to another league. The best solution would perhaps be to have a super team - like Jock Stein - which even Scottish referees could do little about.

Neil J McDermott,

134 Stirling Drive,

Bishopbriggs.

q ARE any of your readers football fans disappointed at not getting a ticket for France 98? Perhaps some are bored spectators or would-be referees? Let me take this opportunity to offer them the chance to get involved in World Cup action. ENABLE - formerly the Scottish Society for the Mentally Handicapped - needs people to take part in a fundraising football event, and I have been recruited to spread the word!

Twenty families every week in Scotland find out that their child has a learning disability. ENABLE supports these people and their families in Scotland and needs you to help.

ENABLE's Charity 5-a-side World Cup Football Tournament takes place on July 4 at Pitz Super Soccer, Paisley, who are kindly donating the use of their venue for the event. Teams can enter for free if they raise a minimum sponsorship of #50.

I hope your readers will help ENABLE and me in this search for footballing fundraisers. Goalies, strikers or even armchair fans who want to take part should contact Jennifer Wylie at ENABLE, 6th Floor, 7 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, G1 3HL. Telephone 0141 226 4541 ext 242.

Gordon Smith,

BBC Football Analyst.