We’dhave welcomed Celticfans
From Back Page tie to pass peacefully. But after consultation with Police Service Northern Ireland, Celtic decided to reject a ticket allocation for the game, which has a 5pm kick-off for security reasons.
Tickets in the North Stand section of Windsor Park have been on general sale to those with a NI postcode and it is understood Celtic supporters have purchased some of them.
McGivern said: “I’d be amazed if there weren’t any Celtic fans inside the ground. The police will have intelligence about who is buying tickets and where they are sitting.
“The police will have time to have a robust plan in place for those Celtic fans who go against the wishes of their club and come to the game. They believe they can deal with any situation.
“I do feel sorry for genuine Celtic supporters. We believe we could have managed it, working with the relevant authorities and with the PSNI to bring a number of Celtic fans to the ground and have it well segregated. We were happy to do that.
“We’re bringing 1500 fans to Celtic Park and I wouldn’t want to be going to that game without our supporters. I couldn’t have lived with that decision.
“Celtic have their own reasons, which we won’t go into, but we certainly would have accommodated them inside this ground.”
Linfield and Celtic have built up a positive relationship over the last few weeks. Both are well aware they have been in trouble with UEFA before.
McGivern is adamant that can’t be allowed to happen again, stating there is more riding on this than the result on the field.
He said: “We are looking forward to two games of football but there are, of course, bigger implications.
“Northern Ireland as a society has moved on a lot in the past few years and we want Belfast and the stadium showcased. It’s vital both legs pass off peacefully.
“We’ve been banned from playing at Windsor Park before and although I don’t want to drag up things from the past, we have also had a UEFA fine a few years ago.
“It’s crucial that we can protect the good name of this club.
“We want our fans to be loud and proud, and back the club with Linfield songs but we don’t want dragged back to the bad old days.”