Celtic supporters will be allowed to travel to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie against Bayern Munich, but the club remains under serious warning from UEFA after escaping an away ban by the narrowest of margins.
Celtsarehere can confirm that UEFA’s disciplinary panel strongly considered banning away supporters following the use of pyrotechnics during Celtic’s final group-stage match against Aston Villa. With Celtic already serving a suspended sentence for previous offences, including the use of pyro at Borussia Dortmund, there was genuine concern that the governing body would act harshly this time.
However, Celtic’s legal team worked hard behind the scenes to avoid what would have been a significant blow to the club and its travelling support. The club successfully argued that the incident at Villa Park was not an orchestrated display by a group of fans but rather the actions of one individual. Given this context, UEFA opted for a financial penalty instead, issuing Celtic a fine of €10,000 (£8,000).
The club welcomed the decision, stating that every effort had been made to ensure supporters could attend the match in Munich. However, they also made it clear that the suspended sentence remains in place. Another breach of UEFA’s regulations could very well result in fans being locked out of future away fixtures.
Celtic’s statement reiterated the dangers of pyrotechnics, warning that any further incidents would put supporters at serious risk of being barred from attending future European matches.
With the first leg at Celtic Park this Wednesday and the return in Germany a week later, the Hoops faithful will be eager to make their presence felt in both fixtures. The hope now is that the focus stays on the football and that no further issues arise to put future away allocations in jeopardy.
The individual responsible at the Villa game is clearly pictured – has he been identified and banned yet?
It is clear we have some idiots in the support!
If this one has been identified then the legal team should seek recompense for the fine from him. He should also be banned from attending any Celtic game.
And the same goes for the GB who put Celtic and genuine Celtic fans in this situation.
You must be gutted at the news.
Nice. 🙂