Borna Barisic’s Croatian roots are evident to see, and his friendship with Filip Benkovic of Celtic is also refreshing.
Barisic revealed today that he invited the Celtic star to his house to watch their old clubs in action. NK Osijek were playing Dinamo Zagreb on Sunday, a match in which Dinamo won 2-0.
The Rangers star signed for the club from Osijek in the summer. Benkovic went to the other side of Glasgow on a loan deal from Leicester City on transfer deadline day.
The pair go way back as they faced each other with their old teams in the past. And Barisic has today revealed in the Daily Record that the two remain close despite their Old Firm rivalry.
“I called Filip Benkovic to come over to my house so we could both watch the game together. We don’t have any problems socialising together for now even though he plays for Celtic and I play for Rangers.
“We are friends and always will be. Fans just have to understand this.”
Well said
How dare Barisic and Benkovic try to bring some social normality to Scottish football, eh? In truth, considering all of the problems we’re going through with coin-throwing and fan aggression, this is so refreshing.
The country has been plagued with the likes of Neil Lennon, Alfredo Morelos, and Craig Samson being pelted with coins over the last week. It’s cast a dark cloud over Scottish football, with too many clubs trying to defend themselves.
What many in Scotland seem to have forgotten is that this is a sport. Rivalry is good, but so long as it doesn’t go beyond anything other than sport. Scottish football can be far too tribal as it spills out into social conflict in everyday life.
Too often, football figures have also led the way for fan hatred without knowing. Celtic’s Artur Boruc refusing to shake hands with Rangers players was a dreadful show back in 2007. The way Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon behaved in THAT Old Firm match back in 2011 was another embarrassment.
It’s good to see that Old Firm rivals can still be friends at a time when it’s becoming more and more tribal. Perhaps elements of both sides of the Old Firm support could learn a thing or two from their behaviour.
