The Goal Machine
Well-Known Member
Thanks for contacting us following Sportsound on 5 August. We've received a range of complaints about our coverage of incidents involving Rangers supporters at Rangers’ game with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
To allow us to reply promptly, and to ensure we use our TV Licence fee resources as efficiently as possible, we’re sending this response to everyone. We’re sorry we can’t reply individually and to every point that’s been made, but we hope the following response will address most concerns.
The opening weekend of the new Scottish football season was, again, dominated by off-field events – this just a few days after Scottish football clubs and Police Scotland had promised a crackdown on incidents of unacceptable conduct at grounds.
The incidents involving Rangers supporters that were discussed on the programme included sectarian singing, the pitch invasion following the winning goal, the damage caused to the disabled fan enclosure, and difficulties encountered in gaining entry to Rugby Park prior to kick-off, including reports of crushing and fans opening a gate to gain entry. Mention of these issues provided context to the overall coverage of the game; their relevance reflected by the coverage of these events across the Scottish media.
On Michael Stewart’s comments on Sportsound, regarding incidents prior to the Kilmarnock v Rangers game, BBC Sport Scotland senior staff have discussed this matter with Michael and he has indicated that his comments were made in reference to a video posted on various sites; for example:
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4567789/rangers-fans-rugby-park-gate/
(Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content found on any external sites.)
While this was referenced within the programme, we accept that it should have been made much more explicit that his comments about crushing were made in relation to what that video appears to show.
Following a listener’s email, presenter Jonathan Sutherland did return to the issue of crushing towards the end of the programme, to seek to clarify Michael’s comments. However, we acknowledge the first-hand accounts of crushing outside Rugby Park and, consequently, that the view that crushing can only take place in a confined space, as Michael contended, is a view that should have been challenged on the programme.
More broadly, it’s worth noting that BBC Scotland sports news correspondent, Chris McLaughlin, in addition to introducing the response from Kilmarnock, also gave Rangers’ statement on the stadium entry problems, the pitch invasion and the disabled fans enclosure damage, including Rangers’ concerns of safety issues around congestion and fans fearing they were in danger of being crushed.
Chris also talked about the report on stadium safety in Scottish football and the steps that some clubs have taken to try to tackle unacceptable conduct at grounds. And Michael Stewart and Tom English, together with Jonathan Sutherland and Chris McLaughlin, discussed the issues of unacceptable behaviour at football grounds across Scotland and what’s being done, or should be done, by all the clubs and the authorities to address these issues.
We have also looked at the Tom English tweet regarding supporters being “trapped outside Rugby Park”. BBC Sport Scotland senior staff have discussed this with Tom, and we acknowledge your concern at the tone and language of this tweet and that it wasn’t appropriate.
It’s important to note too that Tom does make clear in the Twitter exchanges that followed that he was making reference to what the video (linked to above) appears to show. In those exchanges Tom explicitly notes that at no time did he say there was not a crush. What he says is: “That video does not represent a crush. Nothing like it. I’ve asked if the crush happened elsewhere. I’d like to know.”
Rangers continue to operate an exceptional ban on one of our journalists, which severely restricts our ability to report freely from Ibrox. We have offered to return to Ibrox to provide match commentaries, while we try to find a permanent resolution to the overall dispute, but Rangers have said this is unacceptable. We continue to speak with the club as, together, we seek to find a mutually agreeable solution to the current impasse.
We would also like to assure you that, contrary to what’s been suggested, the BBC is not biased for or against Rangers FC. Our reporting is undertaken fully in line with the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and with the Broadcasting Code which is laid down by the independent industry regulator, Ofcom.
Thanks again for getting in touch. We’ve shared your feedback with the relevant teams and senior management.
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They have obviously had a lot of complaints and it looks like they have acted on some of them. I would suggest to them that the sooner they start reporting on Rangers as they should do as a national broadcaster the sooner accusations of bias can be removed.
Keep the pressure up.
To allow us to reply promptly, and to ensure we use our TV Licence fee resources as efficiently as possible, we’re sending this response to everyone. We’re sorry we can’t reply individually and to every point that’s been made, but we hope the following response will address most concerns.
The opening weekend of the new Scottish football season was, again, dominated by off-field events – this just a few days after Scottish football clubs and Police Scotland had promised a crackdown on incidents of unacceptable conduct at grounds.
The incidents involving Rangers supporters that were discussed on the programme included sectarian singing, the pitch invasion following the winning goal, the damage caused to the disabled fan enclosure, and difficulties encountered in gaining entry to Rugby Park prior to kick-off, including reports of crushing and fans opening a gate to gain entry. Mention of these issues provided context to the overall coverage of the game; their relevance reflected by the coverage of these events across the Scottish media.
On Michael Stewart’s comments on Sportsound, regarding incidents prior to the Kilmarnock v Rangers game, BBC Sport Scotland senior staff have discussed this matter with Michael and he has indicated that his comments were made in reference to a video posted on various sites; for example:
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4567789/rangers-fans-rugby-park-gate/
(Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content found on any external sites.)
While this was referenced within the programme, we accept that it should have been made much more explicit that his comments about crushing were made in relation to what that video appears to show.
Following a listener’s email, presenter Jonathan Sutherland did return to the issue of crushing towards the end of the programme, to seek to clarify Michael’s comments. However, we acknowledge the first-hand accounts of crushing outside Rugby Park and, consequently, that the view that crushing can only take place in a confined space, as Michael contended, is a view that should have been challenged on the programme.
More broadly, it’s worth noting that BBC Scotland sports news correspondent, Chris McLaughlin, in addition to introducing the response from Kilmarnock, also gave Rangers’ statement on the stadium entry problems, the pitch invasion and the disabled fans enclosure damage, including Rangers’ concerns of safety issues around congestion and fans fearing they were in danger of being crushed.
Chris also talked about the report on stadium safety in Scottish football and the steps that some clubs have taken to try to tackle unacceptable conduct at grounds. And Michael Stewart and Tom English, together with Jonathan Sutherland and Chris McLaughlin, discussed the issues of unacceptable behaviour at football grounds across Scotland and what’s being done, or should be done, by all the clubs and the authorities to address these issues.
We have also looked at the Tom English tweet regarding supporters being “trapped outside Rugby Park”. BBC Sport Scotland senior staff have discussed this with Tom, and we acknowledge your concern at the tone and language of this tweet and that it wasn’t appropriate.
It’s important to note too that Tom does make clear in the Twitter exchanges that followed that he was making reference to what the video (linked to above) appears to show. In those exchanges Tom explicitly notes that at no time did he say there was not a crush. What he says is: “That video does not represent a crush. Nothing like it. I’ve asked if the crush happened elsewhere. I’d like to know.”
Rangers continue to operate an exceptional ban on one of our journalists, which severely restricts our ability to report freely from Ibrox. We have offered to return to Ibrox to provide match commentaries, while we try to find a permanent resolution to the overall dispute, but Rangers have said this is unacceptable. We continue to speak with the club as, together, we seek to find a mutually agreeable solution to the current impasse.
We would also like to assure you that, contrary to what’s been suggested, the BBC is not biased for or against Rangers FC. Our reporting is undertaken fully in line with the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and with the Broadcasting Code which is laid down by the independent industry regulator, Ofcom.
Thanks again for getting in touch. We’ve shared your feedback with the relevant teams and senior management.
....................................................................................................................
They have obviously had a lot of complaints and it looks like they have acted on some of them. I would suggest to them that the sooner they start reporting on Rangers as they should do as a national broadcaster the sooner accusations of bias can be removed.
Keep the pressure up.