Uefa charge for Celtic after flag protest breaches rules
CELTIC FOOTBALL club has been charged by Uefa after fans flew Palestinian flags at the Glasgow side’s match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
The governing body had warned the Scottish champions prior to last week’s Champions League qualifier that sanctions could follow if the flags were displayed by protesters inside Celtic Park.
Uefa confirmed it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the Scottish champions last Friday.
The case will be heard on September 22. Uefa is more likely to hand down a severe punishment if a club breaches rules more than once within a fiveyear period.
Celtic fall into this category, having been fined in 2014 after fans staged a similar demonstration and waved Palestinian flags at a match against KR Reykjavik.
A small group of demonstrators shouted “Israel is a racist state” and “Viva Palestina” on the concourse outside the ground before last week’s match.
Stanley Lovatt, Israel’s honorary consul in Scotland, said he saw “a couple of dozen protesters” before kick-off.
He added: “There was a flurry of Palestinian flags inside the ground just as the game started, but absolutely no trouble at all.”
Before the match, hundreds of fans had joined a Facebook page titled “Fly the flag for Palestine, for Celtic, for Justice”. The page was set up by a group called Celtic Fans for Palestine and urged supporters to use their “democratic rights to display our opposition to Israeli apartheid”.
Following the announcement of the disciplinary proceedings, a GoFundMe page was created by Celtic’s “Green Brigade” fans group. They pledged to match any fine imposed by Uefa.
“Match the fine for Palestine” had raised its £100,000 target by Tuesday, with Stan Collymore, the former Premier League footballer, among those supporting the campaign.
The money raised will be split between two Palestinian charities.
The second leg of the tie was played in Israel on Tuesday night, with Celtic progressing to the next round.
Glasgow Friends of Israel intends to hold a conference next month, focusing on the centenary of the Balfour Declaration and the run-up to the commemoration in June 2017 of the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War.