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During season 1951/52, while Celtic were floundering on the field, the club became involved in an increasingly tense contretemps with the SFA.

Several cases of misconduct involving Celtic supporters, culminating in disgraceful behaviour at the New Year’s Day 1952 clash with Rangers, had been concerning the authorities in Scotland. The Glasgow magistrates met todiscuss the situation, and made several recommendations which they invited the SFA and the Scottish League to consider.

The most controversial was the the fourth: “that the two clubs should avoid displaying flags which might incite feeling amongst the spectators

This was construed as a reference to the flag of Eire which flew over oneend of the covered enclosure, and some football officials — undoubtedly with ahistory of coolness towards Celtic — chose to use this recommendation as excuse to threaten the club. After consideration, the Referee Committee of the SFA ruled “that Celtic be asked to refrain from displaying in its park any flag or emblem that had no association with the country or the sport.”

When the full SFA council convened to consider the approval of the committee’s report, Bob Kelly of Celtic rose to defend his club’s traditions and to move the rejection of that part dealing with the banning of the flag. Not too surprisingly, his motion was seconded by Rangers’ John Wilson. However, the council voted to ignore Celtic’s plea — and the battle-lines were drawn. If Celtic continued to fly the Eire flag in defiance of the SFA ruling — and any misconduct by their supporters took place — the club would face a number of unpleasant options: “a fine, or closure of the ground, or suspension or all of those penalties.”

The thought of Celtic being suspended from Scottish football over such a matter was ridiculous, but that threat hung over the club for the remainder of the season. A clique within the SFA, orchestrated primarily by the secretary, George Graham, continued to press for Celtic to take down the flag and submit to the SFA’s demands. Celtic had taken legal advice on the matter, and were confident about the outcome.

However, Bob Kelly had to contend with considerable pressure from his colleagues on the SFA council. He remained unshaken, and eloquent in the defence of Celtic’s traditions: the club had been founded by Irishmen in the I 880s, the flag was flown to recall that association The opposition to Celtic fragmented, and eventually the furore quietly faded away. The threat had been made, pressure applied — but the likelihood of its ever being translated into action was minimal. In retrospect, the matter was clearly ‘a storm in a teacup’, to be recalled now as one for amusement.

'He'll roast in Hell for what he tried to do to Celtic.' Desmond White on SFA George Graham

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