An alleged “member” of The Green Brigade who regularly posts on social media has claimed on several forums that the club has cancelled the tickets of its members for both home and away matches and has not communicated with the fan group since last week.
This is a developing story. There has been no announcement from Celtic or from The Green Brigade themselves, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true.
The claims of a single individual do not mean that it is.
This has literally just been put into the public domain, and it comes after a Green Brigade statement earlier today urging fans to bring Palestinian flags to Celtic Park for the Atletico Madrid game, something they already asked for in their statement last week.
I said that this would be a big week for all at the club, with a huge decision in front of them on this subject. If the club has done as has been suggested here the only surprise is that they’ve done so with such speed and ruthlessness.
The lack of a formal announcement isn’t actually that surprising; if this story is true they probably feel like The Green Brigade has occupied enough of the club’s thinking as it is, and that cancelling some season tickets doesn’t merit an announcement.
It’s a kind of magisterial “now you know who is really in charge” silence … arrogant, aloof, but not, it must be said, without cause. Which isn’t to say I agree with it. But something like this has been coming.
I have long said, on this site, that the club would act far in advance of the kind of UEFA sanctions which would close a stand or the whole ground.
The standoffs over pyro and banners, in which the fan group was not willing to give even an inch, were never going to be allowed to go on indefinitely and whilst the ruthlessness and swiftness of such a response would be a major surprise, I cannot say that the fact of it would be. It’s broadly in line with what I always thought would happen here.
I still hope that it’s not true. Fans and club should not be split at a time like this, but I cannot hold the club entirely to blame either.
God knows they have tried to resolve this without extreme measures. I am saddened if those extreme measures have now been taken, and wish sincerely that there had been another way.
But as I’ve written before, Celtic has the right to insist that those under its roof respect its rules. Anyone not prepared to should be prepared to pay the price.
No-one wins here.
This is not about winning and losing; there is no winning in something like this.
If Celtic has come to such a decision this is more about cutting their losses and taking the immediate flak rather than anything else. It will have been arrived at with great reluctance and much regret.
Nobody should be happy about it.
It would be a sad day for everyone at our club, and even those who might think it’s also a necessary one should be lamenting the fact of it, if it proves to be real.
this is genocide now, political or not ,what is wrong with you people, every right minded person should be able to show solidarity with the palestinians in any walk of life at any occasion, sporting or otherwise and hope that peace and some sort of decent living can be achieved for ALL involved. some have more courage than others, lives mean more than football, even if it is Celtic, we should be like we have always been, shouting loudest about any injustices and the rest of Europe and the world will eventually
Form a political party and protest as much as you want. Just not at a Celtic Football Match
This behaviour is costing the club a fortune in fines and its tarnishing their reputation. I’ve got tickets for Wednesday, being trying for years to go to a champions league match and I want to see a good football match with a great atmosphere. Save the politics for other situations and don’t destroy my lifetime experience
Agreed that what usreal has done is Genocide…but the palastinians did Genocide first
I’m sick of the club getting fines because of the so called GB and their self fulfilling ‘protests’. They’re costing the club a fortune in fines, reputation dragged through the mud, and probably driving out stars like Abada. Fuck off GB, I’ll gladly buy your ticket once the clubs withdraw it.
If the maleficent Green Brigade thought they were the voice of Celtic FC, just like Israel, they have now crossed a line.
The Green Brigade will now be were they always wanted to be without knowing it, on the outside looking in. Good luck demonstrating on the streets with your worthy causes, raising public awareness.
I’m a massive Celtic fan but this i(Bring a Palestinian flag) is bang out of order.So the Green Brigade are basically saying we support Hamis.I feel terrible for every single person affected by this war . And one other thing is we have a great Israel football player who is so upset he will definitely Leave the club.shame on the green brigade..No politics at football
The GB banner in the immediate follow up to the massacre in southern Israel could be interpreted as a support to Hamas. Flying the Palestinian flag could be interpreted as having sympathy for the innocent Palestinians being massacred by the Israelis. Take your pick.
Great news,ban them for good, ruining the clubs name, the seats can be filled by non brain washed Idiots, no respect for the Israeli players who worked tirelessly to maintain success for the club
About time too celtic hopefully have grown a couple as green brigade is a plus for the atmosphere at the home games uefa will only put up with their crap for so long with ALL the fines this mob have cost the club there will be countless fans to take there place with decent law abiding fans.Good on you Celts.
If this is a game of bluff between Celtic FC and the Green Brigade, the fifty calibre round from the former, shot across the bow of the latter, makes interesting trajectoral reading.
It’s such a shame that these GB comrades can’t do anything to make their political views known other than to hijack a football club and virtue signal – because what do they think will happen – Hamas will suddenly realise that they’ve got it all wrong when they tune in to take a well deserved break from waring and watch Celtic v athletico, or that Israel will see that they’ve got it all wrong too?
Also, if we’re a club open to all, that must include those who don’t share these armchair socialists views, whose nuance is that of a 12 tear old, and probably have that absolute homicidal disgrace, che Guevara posters on their bedroom walls, and still claim him as “one of their own”
Sooner Celtic grasp this ettle the better, because untill they do, the food comrades will keep trying to destroy our club.
HH
Yeah well, it’s hardly a life or.death situation and once you’ve literally been in one, it’s difficult to relate. Having said that, there has always been a faction of the celtic support which deem themselves above the rest and frankly, that’s unlikely to change. That same faction, whilst hugely important to us, are equally likely to cause us problems.
There’s plenty of fans on the season ticket waiting list if the board do decide to take that sections tickets off them , so the club won’t lose financially and they know that.
I’ve no idea who runs the G B , but they are now becoming a major problem, good football fans groups come and go with there clubs on many issues but sadly the G B just want the whole cake , they love the attention they get, and they don’t care about anything else, they know the damage they are doing not only to the club but also the many tens off thousands of other fans, keep up the good work ??
On my last comment, when I finished with keep up the good work it was in reference to James Forest , hope to clear that up .
It’s not the Green Brigade who should be banned. It’s the banners they display. Strictly control at the turnstiles or gates by Police allowing only flags relevant to the game into the stadium. No politics in Football
I go to Celtic park to support my team. I respect the right of people to demonstrate but feel the end result will be closing a stand or the ground which does no one any good. If you feel so strongly then take your protest to George square or Glasgow green and allow the rest of us to follow and support our team
Why is it ok to show support for Ukraine against the bullying and killing by Russia, but not Palestine who have and are experiencing the same from Israel. It’s time our board grew a pair and stood up to UEFA.
I don’t think Parkhead should be the place to show bannered support to neither The Ukraine nor Palestine Eddie…
That said I’m a tad hypocritical in that in my young days of going to The Jungle I sang songs at a football stadium in support of freedom for Ireland –
But I definitely didn’t bring any banners – neither did anybody else back then (though some had The Ireland Flag) !
I think the clubs hand has been forced here.
But what the green brigade need to realise is that no one is bigger than the club, doesn’t matter how much they stamp their feet the club will always come out on top
They need to respect the rules like everyone else , they’re not special and allowances can not be made for them, especially when they seem determined to tarnish the club (they claim to love)reputation. If they want to make political displays (and I agree with their political views) then they should go to a political rally, not a football ground. HH ?
About time, too many fines have had to be paid for the bad behaviour of the “Green Brigade”.
Celtic is a great football club, not a political platrorm. Leave politics at home and shout for your club on the pitch.
Celtic FC is not and should never be platform for political views
They should be banned. I support the ordinary Palestinian people just as I support the ordinary Israeli people but the Green Brigade on the whole are just useful idiots for any terrorist group that happens to appeal to their, too often, uneducated minds. Don’t let them bring the reputation of this great club through the mud.
Leave politics at home..no banner or flags..but a minute silence for those who died in war on November should hold.
Football is a place we all go to get away from our troubles . Celtic is a family club for all and the numpties who held up the flags today will bring the club fines and bans . Supported Celtic for 50 years and the board needs to get rid of flags except the republic . Zero Tolerance .
Celtic we’re here long before this nonsense go protest go over help but give people a break fae all this bull at Celtic Park it’s football we go to see not a circus and a drum banging come on Don’t be getting Celtic banned fae Europe or 59000 fans will be unhappy