Celtic have warned supporters that they could still face future UEFA punishment if pyrotechnic use continues, despite avoiding a stadium ban for their upcoming Champions League match in Munich.
UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has fined Celtic €10,000 following the throwing of fireworks during their final league-phase match against Aston Villa on January 29.
However, the Scottish Premiership side has confirmed that fans will be allowed to attend the crucial away fixture versus Bayern Munich in Germany after UEFA considered their detailed submission on the matter.
While this decision provides short-term relief for travelling supporters, the club has reiterated that the original suspended sentence remains in place due to previous pyrotechnic incidents.
A stern statement made it clear that further breaches could lead to severe consequences, including the possibility of fans being barred from attending European fixtures.
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“Celtic made every effort to ensure that our fans could attend this match, and we are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” the statement read.
"We can also confirm that the original suspended sentence remains in place, as a result of the previous use of pyrotechnics, most recently at the match against Borussia Dortmund, by a small minority of supporters.
"Again we must make it very clear that pyrotechnics have absolutely no place at our matches and should further incidents occur, then clearly, once again, there is an extremely high risk of our supporters not being permitted access to future matches."
Celtic will now hope their passionate fanbase heeds the warning as they prepare for the challenge of facing Bayern Munich on the European stage.
Brendan Rodgers’ team are in the knockout stage of UEFA’s elite competition for the first time in 12 years.
Rodgers commented on the panel's verdict and suggested that he wasn't convinced those causing the bother will change their ways.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Celtic's Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers, he said: “I’m not sure they’re going to listen to me, if I’m honest, whoever that may be, but let’s hope.
"I think the game now as a whole, it’s not just a small group of Celtic supporters, you see it throughout football. This element of ultras and all this sort of thing, you see it throughout Europe.
“So it’s not just solely Celtic supporters, but my only worry is for Celtic and our club, so that we can maintain the status that we have, which is an amazing club with an amazing support base and club where supporters can travel anywhere in the world and always be welcomed and doors are always open for them. And that’s what we always want to have.”
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As a result of Friday’s outcome, prices for flights to the popular German city have skyrocketed.
A ticket allocation of approximately 3,750 has been provided to Celtic at the Allianz Arena, with away ticket prices limited to £50.
Yet, there are limited direct flights from Glasgow, or anywhere in Scotland, to Munich, and those available are typically exceeding £500 for a round trip due to the demand.
As a result, the alternative appears to be flying into another German city and then commuting to the Bavarian capital.
