BBCNI says "no offence was intended" and it regrets "any upset caused" to viewers by the singing of a notorious anti-Catholic song during its live broadcast of a match at Windsor Park on Saturday.
But Ormeau Avenue bosses have raised eyebrows by claiming they were "not immediately aware of any issues with the audio feed of this live broadcast". That's despite anti-Catholic singing being clearly heard ringing around Windsor Park during BBCNI's coverage of the Belfast derby between Linfield and Glentoran.
We put a number of questions to BBCNI about the singing of The Billy Boys during their live coverage of the weekend match, which Linfield won 2-1 and after which the South Belfast club was presented with the Irish League trophy.
Linfield fans were clearly heard singing the infamous sectarian song, which contains the line "We’re up to our knees in Fenian blood, surrender our you’ll die."
CHAMPIONS: Linfield FC celebrate their title win after Saturday's victory over Glentoran at Windsor, broadcast live by BBCNI
We asked BBCNI if it had engaged with any stakeholders to discuss steps to stop or mitigate the singing of sectarian songs during its live broadcast. Linfield fans routinely sing The Billy Boys at their home matches at Windsor Park and BBCNI bosses would have known that the singing was almost certain to take place. The club has been warned in the past by the IFA that it faces sanctions if the song continues to be sung, while the club itself has asked fans to refrain from singing The Billy Boys.
In response, BBCNI declined to say whether it had discussed with anyone the possibility of anti-Catholic singing going out live to a lunchtime audience. It said its focus was “primarily on the fixture itself”, adding “We work hard to mitigate editorial risks”. BBCNI declined to give any details of what work had been done to mitigate the risk of anti-Catholic singing during the live broadcast.
We further asked whether an apology had been made at the time or subsequently to viewers after The Billy Boys was heard during the live coverage. Dedicated sports channels routinely issue apologies when offensive words are broadcast live. BBCNI declined to answer that question, but said: “No offence was intended by the BBC and we regret any upset caused.”
BBCNI also issued a broad disclaimer, telling the Belfast Media Group "We aren’t responsible for people’s behaviour at football matches."
BBCNI’s broadcasting of anti-Catholic singing sparked a range of responses on Twitter.
“It's not surprising that certain elements in society are suddenly totally deaf,” remarked Benny, “but come the Féile…”
Dáithí asked BBCNI whether it would be giving the anti-Catholic singing “wall to wall coverage” as it does annually with “Ooh, ah, up the Ra” at Féile. “Or is your outrage selective too?”
Martin asked: “Surely the BBC apologised?”
Christopher said: “The Irish League is riddled with sectarianism.”
