Celtic shut out ‘Green Brigade’

Brendan Rodgers has condemned the display of a paramilitary banner which contributed to Celtic’s decision to shut down the “Green Brigade” section of their stadium for the next two matches.

The Scottish champions have taken their own action in the aftermath of wednesday’ s match against Lin field at Celtic Park which saw them charged by Uefa for the illicit banner and crowd safety issues that emerged this year.

They revealed their decision was also prompted by the use of flares by fans in the same part of the ground during the final game of last season against Hearts. The safe standing area, which houses 900 “Green Brigade” season ticket holders, is now under review by Glasgow City Council’s Safety Advisory Group.

“It’s really disappointing that we are talking about stadium safety and paramilitary banners rather than our progress into the next round of Europe,” said Celtic manager Rodgers.

“The fans have a responsibility to behave in the stadium and I would urge everyone involved to see the damage this is causing to the club.

“Hopefully this is a wakeup call. I really hope that the fans take this on board. It would be a real shame if they forced the club to take more permanent action to ensure safety.”