It has become commonplace to use a minutes applause to celebrate contributions by those who have died to mark their contribution to the particular sport. It may be an appropriate way to mark this contribution, but in our view it is inappropriate to mark their death. A minutes silence is the appropriate and dignified way to mark the passing of any person and offers an opportunity to remember the life of that person in a dignified way.

Recently, in every football ground in Britain, people stood in impeccable silence to remember the fallen those who had given their young lives to ensure that we had freedom. All except one the Scottish football authorities allowed Celtic Football Club to mark Armistice Day with a minutes Applause. This allowed certain Celtic Football Club fans to disrespect the act of Remembrance with impunity, by staging a subsequent walk-out, and avoided the embarassment of a pre-planned disruption of the silence.

We, the undersigned, believe that the football authority was wrong and that Celtic should never have been able to allow some of their fans to disrespect the remembrance of our fallen in this way. We object to it ever being repeated.