Celtic are back in the UEFA dock after the governing body confirmed that they will penalise the Parkhead club for the use of a flare during the Europa League clash against Fenerbahce on Thursday night in Istanbul.
It is anticipated that Celtic will be hit with another fine, expected to be in the region of £40,000, but the danger for the club is that they have a catalogue of previous incidents. This year alone they have have faced charges for misconduct following crowd disturbances against Dinamo Zagreb when a flare was lit as well as against Inter Milan when the same offence took place, despite a plea from both the board and the manager to adhere to UEFA’s guidelines.
The club has been charged with the "setting off of fireworks" under article 16 (2) of the disciplinary regulations and the case will be heard by the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body next Wednesday (December 16).
Last February, Hoops boss Ronny Deila appealed to the supporters to acknowledge the damage that the behaviour was doing to the reputation of the club, but his pleas appear to have gone unheard.
"This is about values and how we want to be seen by the rest of the world,” he said. “This is hurting the reputation of Celtic."
Meanwhile, Rod Stewart has told TalkSport that he believes Deila’s time is up at Celtic.
“If I was to say anything about the manager, I just think that maybe the club’s a bit too big for him at this point in his career,” “I don’t want to run him down and mock him but that’s the way I look at it.
When pushed on whether former Manchester United and Everton boss David Moyes would be a good fit at the Scottish champions, Stewart admitted he was his first choice.
“I can’t say that, I’m very close to the board there and the executive chairman. Something is wrong, but I wouldn’t mind David Moyes at all!
“Fans are drifting away and something has got to be done.”
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