Celtic get tough with Green Brigade
● Lawwell warns of ‘action’ at away games as Uefa fines surpass €500,000
Peter Lawwell has warned that Celtic could be forced to sanction their away support if fan misbehaviour continues after revealing that the club has had to shell out over €500,000 in fines to Uefa.
Manager Neil Lennon pointed out that such a sum could have been used to buy a new player.
Lawwell, the club’s chief executive, has already taken the decision to close a section of Celtic Park for tonight’s Europa League clash against Rennes.
And speaking at the Celtic agm yesterday, Lawwell stated that “challenges” are being presented over fan behaviour with “societal issues in terms of drug abuse and alcohol abuse manifesting themselves at the football”.
The first 14 rows of the standing section that normally houses the Green Brigade ultras group will be shut this evening in response to the latest penalty from Uefa for “illicit chanting” and “illicit banners” during the win over Lazio five weeks ago. Celtic have had 20 charges levelled against them by European football’s governing body in the past decade. A 21st sanction is expected at a disciplinary hearing on 12 December for the “use of pyrotechnics” by Celtic supporters during the victory over Lazio in Rome earlier this month.
Lawwell said the situation cannot be allowed to continue and pointed to the sanction
PETER LAWWELL “Overcrowding, pyrotechnics, abusive banners, abusive singing, alcohol in the stadium, these things just cannot go on” imposed by Uefa this week on Feyenoord, who were banned from selling tickets to their supporters for the club’s away game at Porto on 12 December.
“[For away games] I think we have to look at it on a gameby-game basis to understand what the difficulties are in terms of identifying people,” Lawwell said. “It’s not our stadium, people aren’t in the same seats. Regrettably, we’ve taken action, and if things don’t improve in away games, then I again regret that we are going to have to take action.
“We are all proud of the reputation our supporters have around the world as a club, and I’m sure the supporters are as well. Unfortunately, there is a small minority that we have at the moment who are a challenge in terms of safety in the stadium, and also in terms of protecting the reputation of our magnificent club.
“It’s a difficult challenge, and there are societal changes. People are coming to Celtic Park who are in some way showing their frustrations in terms of their life, and there are societal issues in terms of drug abuse and alcohol abuse manifesting themselves at the football.
“Safety is everything here. We built the standing section for safety, and we have to keep our people safe first and foremost. We also have to protect our reputation. For the vast majority of the time there, it is colour, energy, atmosphere, youth, and it is fantastic. There are times though when a small minority let us down.
“The unfortunately concerning thing for us is that they don’t seem to believe they are doing anything wrong. So, in terms of overcrowding, pyrotechnics, abusive banners, abusive singing, alcohol in the stadium, these are things
Havingbeenalastgasp hero for Celtic in Rome three weeks ago, Olivier Ntcham is now ready to make a longer-lasting impact as a key player for the Scottish champions.
That’s how Neil Lennon assesses the situation of the French midfielder who, at the start of the season, was giving the strong impression he was in a hurry to leave the club.
Celtic manager Lennon had to hold clear-the-air talks with Ntcham in July after comments from the 23-year-old appeared in the French media expressing the view a move away from Scotland was necessary to further his development.
Signed from Manchester City for £4.5 million in the summer of 2017, Ntcham has been linked with Roma, Porto and Marseille at various times.
But he is under contract at Celtic until 2022 and Lennon feels his dramatic stoppage-time winning goal in the club’s historic first victory on Italian soil against Lazio, which secured their place in the last 32 of the Europa League, may have been a personal turning point.
“He is happy to be a part of it,” said Lennon. “The goal in Rome may just have changed his whole outlook on things.
“I saw a difference in him even before Rome. We had a chat about his comments earlier in the season – whether they were misconstrued, there may have been some truth in them. But he has really settled down now and he is training very well. The way he is seeing things now, he might feel ‘why shouldn’t I stay here?’ Because things are going well.
“We’ve beaten Lazio away from home and he played a huge part in that. Maybe that makes him think the grass isn’t always greener and he can fulfil a lot of things at Celtic for whatever length of time he is here.”
Ntcham has been unable to nail down a regular place in Lennon’s side this season, starting just eight games and making a further 12 substitute appearances, including the one which saw him score his fourth goal of the campaign in Rome.
But Lennon has confirmed he will be in the starting eleven on Thursday night when Celtic host Rennes in their penultimate Europa League Group G fixture.
“He has played brilliantly in the games he has played for me,” added Lennon. “He’s been unfortunate not to play more often, that’s just down to the quality of the rest.
“He is some player, really high calibre in his manipulation of the ball. We are seeing more consistency from him now, when previously he was more up and down.
“Certainly, on the ball he has fantastic technique and he works hard at that. Going the other way defensively, he is improving that aspect as well.”
Lennon, who has winger Mikey Johnston, pictured, available again after a near three-month injury absence, insists he will keep changes to his side to a minimum against Rennes, despite Celtic having already qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament with two games to spare.
He is keen to seize the opportunity to top the group, something Celtic have never previously done in either the Champions League or Europa League, which would see them seeded for the last 32 draw.
“It’s weird not being under pressure to win a European game but you try to add pressure to it yourself,” said Lennon.
“Try to win the game first of all and keep your momentum going. Because if you lose the game, it can affect you a little bit psychologically. The danger with Rennes is how they approach the game do they come with a freedom? Will they play younger ones? Or do they just fulfil a fixture?
“What they have got is good pace in their team, they are very good on the counter attack. We have to prepare for that. I’d like to finish the group with a 100 per cent home record. So we will try and reinforce that to the players before kick-off on Thursday night.
“We also want to win the group.
Whether you want to call it a record or a milestone – just keep ticking them off. Our home form is important, whether it be domestically or in Europe. “I don’t think there will be any coming off it from the players. We will definitely try to instil the edge in them and play at the tempo we want to play at.
“I will try and put out the strongest team possible, Mikey is back and will be on the bench, Olivier will definitely start because he’s been playing well and will bring a bit of freshness into the midfield. The rest is basically as you were.”
Lennon, however, will look to rest several key players for Celtic’s final group match against Cluj in Romania on 12 December, a month in which they will play nine fixtures in 29 days. “Yes, we’ll look to do it for that game if we can,” he said. “That’s important with all the games in December. We can also give some who haven’t played as much the opportunity of a competitive, good quality game.”
‘HIGH-CALIBRE PLAYER’
“He’s [Ntcham] been unfortunate not to play more often, that’s just down to the quality of the rest. He is some player, really high calibre in his manipulation of the ball”
NEIL LENNON