Brendan Rodgers warns supporters that Bonfire Night pyrotechnics could be costly for Celtic
Brendan Rodgers has warned Celtic supporters that any Bonfire Night pyrotechnics against RB Leipzig will land the club a fresh UEFA sanction.
The Scottish champions were fined £16,700 for the ‘lighting of fireworks’ during their recent 7-1 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund, with UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body warning that the sale of tickets to fans will be forbidden for an away game in Europe if there is any repeat within the next two years.
Hundreds of Celtic fans have already booked trips to Croatia for the clash with Dinamo Zagreb on December 10.
And, speaking after the kick-off to Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Aberdeen was delayed by 13 minutes through a firework display by Celtic ultras, Rodgers urged supporters to keep the Bonfire Night pyrotechnics far away from Parkhead.
Rodgers previously accused supporters letting off fireworks of being selfish and harming the club.
Asked for his message before a match against the team sitting second in the German Bundesliga, the Parkhead boss said: ‘I think it’s just exactly what we said before. It’s not something that we really want to see. I think there’s that sanction hanging over the club and we really don’t want that.’
Celtic boss Brenda n Rodgers warned fans that a potential UEFA sanction hangs over the club
Pyrotechnics during Celtic's Premier Sports Cup semi-final caused the kick-off to be delayed
Rodgers says the supporters can help Celtic in their Champions League match against RB Leipzig
Rangers chairman John Gilligan has also called on supporters to ditch the pyrotechnics after the Ibrox club were fined a total of £28,000 by Europe’s governing body.
Despite avoiding a partial stadium closure after a firework display during the recent 4-1 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League, a fine of around £11,500 was followed by a penalty of £15,900 for a similar incident in the earlier fixture away to Malmo.
UEFA employ a system of strict liability, which punishes clubs first and asks questions later.
And the issue came back into focus when the kick-offs for both Premier Sports Cup semi-finals were delayed by the smoke from pre-match displays, which impacted on visibility and VAR’s ability to function.
The SPFL will await the reports of match delegates from the weekend’s semi-finals before considering measures to combat the impact of pyrotechnic disruption at next month’s final.
Both Celtic and Rangers will be asked to use CCTV coverage to identify ticket holders responsible for the delays.
Celtic currently sit on four points from their opening three games of the new Champions League format.
Currently in 20th position, they will secure a place in the play-off rounds if they can finish between ninth and 24th and Rodgers has appealed to supporters to back the team’s quest to produce fireworks on the pitch.
‘RB Leipzig will be no different to the likes of Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund,’ said Rodgers.
‘They are a top team right at the top end of their league.
‘They have everything you want in a top European side in terms of speed, strength, power and technique.
‘But it’s a brilliant challenge for us and we’re really looking forward to it on the back of a really good result at Atalanta.
‘Your home games are very, very important at this level and we all know here that, as I said, when you want the result, then the supporters can bring you closer to that.
‘I think that intensity will be needed and the noise and what it generates here is absolutely incredible.
‘We’ll also need that little bit of patience as well because there’s going to be moments when supporters will want you to go forward and want you to press, but we have to be educated in our pressure and for that, that means making sure that everyone is in tune with that because you can’t sustain it.
‘You can’t continue to do it against the very, very top teams. So, there’ll be moments of pressure.
‘There’ll be moments where you’re compact and tight, waiting for that tactical moment to press and I’m pretty sure the crowd, as I said, they’ll really get behind the players and hopefully can push us to a result. But I’m really excited by it because we’re in a good position.’
