Rodgers slams Green Brigade
● Manager fully supports board’s stance ● Celtic facing 11th charge in seven years
Brendan Rodgers has called on the Green Brigade to stop using Celtic as a vehicle for their political views, insisting it runs contrary to the “ethos” of both himself and the club.
Speaking publicly for the first time since Celtic imposed a two-match suspension to the controversial section of their support, Rodgers expressed his dismay at the banner they displayed during last week’s Champions League qualifier against Linfield. Part of it depicted the Celtic manager within a red warning triangle road sign with the slogan “Rodgers At Work” in the manner of the “Sniper At Work” sign associated with the IRA during the Troubles in his native Northern Ireland.
Uefa have opened disciplinaryproceedings against celtic for the illicit banner which will be dealt with this Friday. It is the 11th Uefa charge in the past seven seasons for the Scottish champions who responded by closing the Green Brigade section of Celtic Park for tonight’s Champions League third qualifying round, firstleg match against Rosenborg and the Premiership opener against Hearts on 5 August. A longer club suspension for the Green Brigade is under consideration.
Rodgers has fully backed the position taken by the Celtic board of directors. While also praising the atmosphere created by the Green Brigade, the former Liverpool manager insists there is no place for the political facet of their support within the stadium.
“My opinion is totally aligned with the club’s board,” said Rodgers. “Celtic Football Club, as I have always been aware of its heritage and its charitable work, and of its football work, that’s what it’s all about – why it was started in 1888 and how it is to this present day.
“Celtic is not a political arena for any supporters to come into and display any sort of political element. It is based around football.
“For me, I was obviously saddened by what I’d seen. There are forums and platforms for that outside of football. Take that somewhere else. It’s not for inside Celtic Park. It’s not what the values are, it’s not about the ethos of what Celtic is and it’s certainly not what I am about as a manager.
“My honest feeling is I’m not with it. I’m very much aligned with the thinking of the board and the people who run the club, and the people who have to pay the fines.
“There isn’t a need for it. Some supporters might say, ‘Listen, no. There is a political element to football and there is a basis there to tell a story’. But no. They might do it in other countries around Europe where this Ultra factor goes beyond football. But the governance factor in Britain is different.”
Uefa have also charged Celtic with the blocking of stairwells during last week’s match, while part of the club’s suspension of the Green Brigade related to the use of flares during
the final home game of last season against Hearts.
“One of the big things for me is also the safety element,” added Rodgers. “If you are putting flares up there in a ground, then you open yourselves to these things. People say, ‘It won’t happen’ but it can.
“I do want to defend the guys at some point.
“I have been fortunate enough to be around British football at some big clubs in my career. I can categorically say that the atmosphere inside Celtic Park, not just from that section, is the best you will witness.
“What the guys in the corner add is energy and youthfulness, which is actually amazing. The club have worked tirelessly over the years to become the first club in Britain to put in a standing section. And 99.9 per cent of the time, they – along with the rest of the fans – give us this incredible support. But the political element is not acceptable. “These guys wake up in the morning and their first thought is Celtic. They think about it morning until night. They think of the great ways they can support Celtic – all the other banners and symbols they put out, the work is so admirable. Then they bring a great energy.
“But we don’t need to go down the other route. The message is ‘Just stick to football and supporting the team that you love’.
“We are very much one club, we are in a great moment in our history as a club and we hopefully have a real exciting moment moving forward. We want all the supportersto be in on that. we don’t want to be putting anyone out or that.
“But when there is maybe a risk of people and their safety at a football game, then the board have to look at it and be serious about it.”