There was a motion lodged today in Parliament to acknowledge Billy McNeill’s “extraordinary contribution to Scottish football as both a manager and as a player” Football Scotland has revealed.
The motion was raised by Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Ged Killen and he said:
“I have tabled a motion in Parliament in recognition of Billy McNeill.
“Billy was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary career. Beginning at Blantyre Victoria Football Club and going on to become one of the all-time greats of Scottish football.
“I have no doubt that Billy’s many great achievements at Celtic will live on in the hearts and minds of the club’s supporters for generations to come.
“My thoughts are with Billy’s family, friends, former teammates and everyone at Celtic Football Club.”
Billy passed away on Monday morning, suffering from dementia for the last ten years. People from all walks of life from football to entertainment and now to the political arena have been paying tribute to the European Cup Winner.
Celtic fans have been visiting Celtic Park over the past 48 hours to lay flowers, scarves and well wishes to Billy’s family as the Celtic family come to terms with the loss.
He was a Celtic giant but as we’ve seen from the last two days, Billy transcended football and had earned respect from all walks of life. It’s nice to see so many people paying tribute to the most successful Celtic Captain in the history of our great club.
The full motion reads: “That this House expresses its deep sorrow at the death of Billy McNeill, the former captain of the Lisbon Lions, who made history when he led Celtic Football Club to victory in the 1967 European Cup final; recognises Billy’s extraordinary contribution to Scottish football as both a manager and as a player beginning at Blantyre Victoria Football Club and going on to set an unbeaten record of 790 competitive appearances for Celtic Football Club and being capped 29 times by Scotland; pays tribute to Billy McNeill for his domestic success as captain of Celtic Football Club, winning nine Scottish League Championships, seven Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups; and conveys sincere sympathy to Billy’s family, his former teammates and Celtic Football Club.”
We wrote earlier today about Ibrox Legend John Greig making the trip to Celtic Park to pay his respects to a former foe and later in life a friend.
Billy will be missed by everyone and as Celtic head into their game on Saturday, you can expect more tributes from the supporters.
