Celtic’s 1967 European Cup victory had a similar effect on social attitudes towards Scotland’s Irish-catholic diaspora as the achievements of Muhammad Ali did for the black population in the United States, according to a new study.
Research by the University of Stirling said “parallels could be drawn” between the Lisbon Lions’ 2-1 win over Internazionale in the Portuguese capital and the in-ring achievements of Ali in breaking down preconceived boundaries placed on “marginalised” Irish-catholics for economic, social and political progression.
The paper - published in international academic journal Soccer and Society - concluded the victory was “not merely the story of a great sporting accomplishment” but also a “landmark and iconic moment in the social and cultural history of a country (Scotland) and a people (Irish-Catholic diaspora) within that country”.
READ MORE: What became of the Lisbon Lions?
Authors Dr Joseph Bradley, senior lecturer at the institution’s faculty of health sciences and sport, and Dr John Kelly, of the University of Edinburgh, analysed published accounts of the match and conducted interviews with fans who attended the game in Lisbon.
They concluded the victory mirrored the effect on the Irish-catholic community in Scotland with the iconic sporting achievements of native aboriginal Cathy Freeman in athletics and the protest of athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Mexico Olympics on their respective ethnicities.
Dr Bradley said: “In 1967, Celtic became the first club outside of Portugal, Spain and Italy to win the European Cup.”
“Although numerous football fans celebrated Celtic’s win in 1967 and people from non-Catholic and non-Irish backgrounds have long supported Celtic, the victory is totemic for the Catholic community of Irish immigrant descent in Scotland that has historically formed the core support of the club.”
“We reveal that soccer remains a central component of group memory connecting the past, present and future and suggest that Celtic’s win offered confidence and hope to a marginalised group within Scotland.”
As part of their research, the authors also found that up until the 1990s in Scotland, there was a widely-held perception that most catholics - particularly of Irish origin - could only progress so far in numerous parts of Scottish life.
Dr Kelly added the research also highlights the deeper social, cultural, ethnic, political and religious significance of the Lisbon Lions’ victory.
READ MORE: 'Ex-footballers at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's and MND'
He said: “Our study suggests the significance of the win reveals intersections of ethnicity, religion, nationalism, and the politics of ‘sectarianism’ in Scotland.”
“During a period of discriminatory practices and attitudes towards Irish descended Catholics in Scotland, this iconic win for a Scottish based club born of Irish Catholics personified for this diaspora that - on one level, and at least for that moment in time - their day had arrived.”
“For Celtic and its supporters, 1967 has become a moment when the underdogs in Scottish society became the most successful underdogs on the field of play.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel