Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
UEFA CHARGE CELTIC OVER IRA BANNERS
Club blasts ‘small minority’ of fans behind paramilitary display
CELTIC last night slammed “a small minority of fans” for IRA banners that landed the club in trouble with UEFA.
The display against Linfield this week featured boss Brendan Rodgers by mimicking the infamous “snipers at work” sign.
Celtic said: “Any support for a paramilitary or proscribed
terrorist organisation has no place at Celtic Park.”
The stunt during the Glasgow giants’ 4-0 win in the Champions League qualifier on Wednesday also included a banner of a masked man.
It was the club’s 12th charge in just six years by Euro chiefs.
They also confirmed Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths will face a onegame ban – against Rosenborg in the third round next week – for provoking fans in the first leg in Belfast after tying a scarf around a goalpost in Windsor Park.
The club were hit with a £4,200 fine for picking up five yellow cards – one of which was dished out to Griffiths for timewasting when trying to dodge a Buckfast bottle thrown at him.
Celtic have now had to stump up more than £140,000 in fines. Hoops chiefs have insisted they will launch their own probe over “illicit banners” unfurled in the Green Brigade section and have vowed to take action.
A strongly-worded statement said: “The club has been consistent in condemning such conduct on the very few occasions in the past when it has occurred at Celtic Park.
“It is unfortunate such a small minority of the crowd at Celtic Park last night behaved in such a way. We know the Celtic support will join us in condemning such behaviour.”
Celtic were also charged for a kit infringement for wearing training bibs featuring branding as well as for blocking stairwells.
And Linfield were fined £9,000 over fan behaviour during the clash in Belfast with the club ordered to shut a stand section for the next European clash.