Brendan Rodgers says Celtic 'can do without the pyro' after SPFL charges

Brendan Rodgers hopes that the message will finally get through to supporters that they can’t bring pyrotechnics into stadiums after Celtic were hit by two SPFL charges this week relating to the use of pyro at the League Cup semi-final and final at Hampden.

The cup winners were handed a suspended sanction of a reduction of 800 tickets for any future Premier Sports Cup game they play at Hampden if they have a further breach of the rules before the end of March 2027 for breaches at their semi-final, while they also received an immediate reduction of 500 tickets for their next Premier Sports Cup tie at the national stadium for the use of flares at the final.

Motherwell and Rangers were also punished for breaching SPFL rule H34, which states: ‘Each Club must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that…its players, officials, supporters and any person exercising a function for or connected with the club do not engage in Unacceptable Conduct at a Stadium on the occasion of an Official Match.’

(Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group) Rodgers, while praising the Celtic support and acknowledging that pyro is generally viewed differently in British football than in some other countries, has asked on a number of occasions this term that fans keep it away from their matches, and he is hoping that the threat of ticket allocations being reduced will lead to that penny finally dropping with those who continue to use it.

“Well, hopefully,” Rodgers said.

“I have to say the group within our support base, they give us an amazing support. The colour, everything that they bring is so good.

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“I think it is something, I have to say, that I'm not going to be closed on my thinking on it either, because I know it is in other countries where it is accepted and there is engagement there with supporters to have it.

“But I think normally over here in the UK, we deem it as more dangerous than being a part of the colour of the game.

“I just think if it has a possibility to affect people's health and puts them in any danger, then I just think there are other things that we can do that can still create an amazing atmosphere. I've seen it so many times, what we can do without the pyro.

(Image: Paul Devlin - SNS Group) “But, like I said, I, like the other people and many other people within the clubs, we just hope that we can have games that are safe and that supporters can come and really support the team.

“It's with the club. The club have made the statement on it.

“I always want, obviously, our support base to have as many supporters as they can be there, with noise, with colour, with everything. And that's what makes our support absolutely brilliant.

“So, yes, I've seen that, but I know the club are dealing with that.”