BRENDAN RODGERS has urged fans to keep political statements away from Celtic Park, as he warned the Green Brigade that the club won’t tolerate their misdemeanours for the sake of the atmosphere they bring to the stadium.
The ongoing row between the Celtic board and the Green Brigade was a major topic of debate in the club’s AGM on Wednesday, with chief executive Michael Nicholson reiterating that their ongoing ban from attending matches was motivated by concerns for fan safety.
Celtic were hit by the latest in a series of UEFA fines on the morning of the AGM, with the club having to fork out €17500 after fans waved flags and banners in support of Palestine before their recent home game against Atletico Madrid, a display UEFA deemed to be ‘a provocative message of an offensive nature’.
They were also fined €8000 after supporters blocked public passageways, and €3500 for the lighting of fireworks. It was the third time in three Champions League matches this season that the club have been penalised by the governing body for fan behaviour.
Patience with such conduct has long since worn thin in the Celtic boardroom, and it seems now too, in the dugout.
“It’s all about values,” Rodgers said.
“It’s the bigger picture, the values of this club, which are all about respect, integrity and everything else.
“That far outreaches anything else, and if those values are compromised in any way, then we the club will look at that.
“If someone, or people, are deemed to have misbehaved, you just can’t go along and accept that just because it makes the atmosphere better.
“We all live to certain values, and I hope we can find a solution to it, because as I said, I think the fans have created a really good atmosphere.
“My own personal view is that it’s not a political arena. Football is football, and you come to support the team, and enjoy the team playing. Especially when we play like we did against Aberdeen, and we are scoring.
“Hopefully we can get a resolution to that, but in the meantime, we will continue to do what we are doing, which is just staying very focused.
“The narrative can sometimes be built around that we are not together. It’s not the case. It’s not the case.
“We’re in a great place as a football club and as a team, and I know they are only going to get better.”
