F**k the Pope. Three words that for a large section of decent society, would provoke revulsion. But let’s not kid ourselves, for a large number of people in Scotland, the words are just as likely to provoke a cheer.

Ian Durrant, Rangers legend, knows that. That is why, apparently under the influence at alcohol at a dinner, he uttered the words into a microphone to what was a largely receptive audience. The fact that someone filmed his ill-advised utterances and they made their way into the public domain was of course the only reason that an apology was offered. Because while this sort of behaviour has been pushed to the margins of Scottish society, there are still ‘safe spaces’ where the old standards receive a warm reception.

If you go to one of these dinners, or indeed, go to a football match, you can still hear the old songs being belted out with impunity and little to no shame. And while that may repulse some of you who are reading this, others will be shrugging their shoulders and thinking ‘so what?’

The country has moved on hugely – on the whole – since the days when the question of what school you went to could lead to a sore face or being refused a job depending on the situation you were in. But with the re-emergence of Rangers as a credible contender to Celtic again, there seems to have been a revival of the religiously-driven tit-for-tat that goes along with the rivalry.

Personally, I find it distasteful and embarrassing when this is the face that Scottish football presents to the world. For many, the issue is black and white. Saying these things makes you a bigot. But it can be argued there are shades of grey.

I don’t know Ian Durrant. I’ve interviewed him once or twice, and he was perfectly amiable. Do I believe he hates the Pope, or Catholics on the whole? Only he could tell you that, but my suspicion is that he doesn’t.

It is far more likely that he simply slips into a role that so many thousands of otherwise seemingly decent people do every Saturday, that of the ‘90-minute bigot’. We all know them, guys that would think nothing of referring to their pals as fenian or orange b******s to their faces over a pint. To them, it’s all harmless fun. It’s tribalism, not sectarianism. I’m no religious expert, but I don’t believe there is anything preached in either the Catholic church or the Church of Scotland about hatred of the other.

I was at a wedding recently where the groom (a Rangers fan) and the best man (a Celtic fan) are lifelong friends. The way they speak to each other would have had them up on a charge under the old Offensive Behaviour at Football Act. And one of the problems with the OBFA was that offence is subjective. Like it or not, in large parts of Scotland, this is the culture.

Of course, there are those who can’t and don’t see it as a joke. A laugh with their pals. Those so entrenched in their hatred that someone else’s religion is a perfectly valid reason to either inflict harm on them, or to simply hate them.

Such people, I believe, are thankfully becoming fewer and farther between. While that may be the case though, it is also important to recognise that a culture of so-called ‘harmless’ sectarianism may well validate the more extreme elements in their views, and make them believe that their hatred is acceptable. So, the knock-on effect of the ‘harmless banter’ may be that it is not so harmless at all.

But if we want to rid Scotland and Scottish football of such language and such a culture, what is the answer?

Clubs have initiatives to combat it, but still play songs prior to matches that have been bastardised over generations to include references to the Pope, the UVF or the IRA. It’s almost as if bigotry is good for business.

The zero-tolerance approach hasn’t worked either, with supporters being rounded up for minor offences and lives disrupted for comparatively little and to evidently negligible effect across the board.

Education and time may help to reduce the prevalence of the old songbooks and the shamelessness by which they are belted out, but there is no point in ignoring the fact that for many, their enjoyment of going to the game is inexorably wrapped up in the whole ugly slanging match that comes with it.

Like it or not, the 90-minute bigot is here to stay.

AND ANOTHER THING...

For the second time in a matter of weeks, I'm delighted to be able to offer hearty congratulations to Hamilton's youngsters for their stunning UEFA Youth League win over Swiss side FC Basel, a triumph which owed much to their ability but even more to their determination.

An injury-time equaliser from Sean Slaven set the young Accies up for a 3-2 penalty shootout victory, with goalkeeper Ross Connelly saving three spot-kicks in front of a great crowd at the Hope CBD Stadium.

Good luck to them as they march on.