CELTIC have been hit with a fine of more than £10,000 by Uefa following misbehaviour by fans and players in Turkey in December.
The Parkhead club were punished both for fans setting off flares during their Europa League draw against Fenerbahce in Turkey and for the “improper conduct of the team” during that match.
That latter charge by Uefa automatically follows when a team receives five yellow cards in a European match, which happened in the 1-1 draw in the Group A game held at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on December 10.
Uefa announced the punishment yesterday following a meeting of their control, ethics and disciplinary body. Celtic were fined €13,000 (£10,975).
Celtic have issued indefinite bans to two supporters following the incidents in Turkey after revealing in December that they were considering taking legal action against individual fans.
The Scottish club were fined €10,000 on identical charges following their defeat by Inter Milan in March last year, and the latest case was the eighth time in five seasons that they have been punished by the European governing body for misconduct by their supporters.
The list of shame reads:
February 2016: Fenerbahce (Away) – €13,000 for improper conduct of team and fans’ use of flares.
March 2015: Inter Milan (A) – €8,000 for improper conduct of team, €5,000 fine for flares.
February 2015: Dinamo Zagreb (A) – €10,000 fine for inappropriate crowd behaviour.
July 2014: KR Reykjavik (Home) – fine for illicit banner.
December 2013: AC Milan (H) – fine for illicit banner.
July 2013: Cliftonville (H) – fine for flares.
March 2012: Udinese (A) – fine for flares and illicit banner.
December 2011: Rennes (A) – fine for illicit chanting.
This season has also seen Celtic fans arrested and later banned after flares were thrown on to the pitch in a Scottish Cup game at Stranraer.
The Premiership leaders yesterday issued a statement calling on their supporters to stop using flares. The statement read: “Celtic supporters travel in their thousands to European matches and the club is always grateful and proud to have such a magnificent following from fans who have earned a wonderful reputation. Backed by our supporters’ groups, the club has repeatedly stated its strong opposition to the use of pyrotechnics and took the appropriate action following this match in relation to the individuals concerned.
“Clearly this is something the club and our supporters do not wish to see repeated.”
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