Dec 07,2024
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes disciplinary action over the use of pyrotechnics was necessary to tackle safety concerns for fans and players after his club were charged along with Motherwell and Rangers.
The Scottish Professional Football League has issued notices of complaint over alleged breaches of rules which oblige clubs to do everything possible to stop "unacceptable conduct" and identify and take action against fans who were responsible.
The charges came following delays to the kick-offs of both Premier Sports Cup semi-finals last month after flare and smoke displays led to visibility problems which affected the functionality of the VAR system.
The start of Celtic's 6-0 win over Aberdeen was delayed by 14 minutes after Hoops fans spelled out a giant 'CFC’ with flares, while Aberdeen fans also let off red smoke bombs on a smaller scale. Both Motherwell and Rangers fans let off pyrotechnics the following day and there was a five-minute delay.
Rodgers’ reaction to the charges was that "safety is of paramount importance".
"I always worry about people that are in and around that area when they’re going off," he added. "When you’re young, sometimes you don’t see the dangers, you don’t see or think of other people. But that’s a concern for me, for supporters, especially our own supporters when they’re there.
"And then my concern is also for the players, because when you’re preparing for a game of football, it’s detailed your preparation to the second, so that you’re ready to go whenever the kick-off is ready to start.
"We were 14 minutes delayed in that semi-final. Now that can be the cause of someone getting injured, especially when it’s at this time of the year. You’re standing about, you’re waiting. So all that preparation that you’ve put in, the body’s cold again then, the muscles then are at risk.
"So these are the little things that maybe you would never think about when you’re holding the flare or sticking something up in the air."
The SPFL rarely punishes clubs for fan behaviour, and rarely publicises such action.
But Rodgers said: "It doesn’t surprise me, I just think it’s something that should be done. I don’t see what it adds to the game, so I think it’s right that they look into it and try to stop it, hopefully.
"The away fans in Europe have sort of heeded the warning from the last time when it was in danger of maybe a fan closure or whatnot. I suppose the hope is that this may be the first but hopefully the last when it comes to the league as well and the fans do listen."
Rangers manager Philippe Clement told his club’s fans that pyro was not helping the team.
Clement said: "First, it’s not safe. Secondly, it costs the club money and we want to use that money in a better way that we can do the right things with the squad so the squad becomes better and the fans can be more happy with the squad.
"So again, a clear message that it doesn’t help in any sense towards the team.
"I understand that people want to make a good atmosphere with maybe using those things but the best thing they can use is their voice and to sing and to support the players because in that way I’ve been really happy in Scottish football with the atmosphere in the stadiums and that’s much more important than pyros."
The SPFL earlier described the "large-scale, organised and illegal pyrotechnics displays" as "totally unacceptable" and claimed they caused "significant inconvenience to thousands of fans at the game and to supporters watching worldwide".
A statement added: "There have been a number of complaints from supporters about these incidents and the SPFL and Scottish FA have been in ongoing discussions with the clubs involved in the weeks since the semi-finals."
Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers will all face disciplinary hearings.
Rodgers has a fully fit squad for the visit of Hibernian on Saturday after making six changes for last weekend's 5-0 win over Ross County and reversing four of those for the midweek victory over Aberdeen.
Record signing Arne Engels was on the bench for both matches while Luke McCowan was back among the substitutes at Pittodrie after his man-of-the-match display against County.
The former Dundee midfielder and several of his fellow subs made a major impact as Celtic clinched victory in the 78th minute thanks to Reo Hatate’s goal.
Rodgers said: "We’re in a really, really good place, and I think that is also part of the rotation.
"Sometimes if you don’t have the depth of squad and the strength in your squad, you may be having to play players for 90-plus minutes three times a week, playing them all the time, which is when you have a greater risk of injury.
"What we’ve been able to do is manage the minutes of the players and where there has been maybe a little niggle, we can then take someone out. Or if someone has played a lot more minutes, then we have that possibility to take them out. That’s the benefit of having a depth of squad.
"So I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it, picking the teams to put out and giving that opportunity for some of them to have some breathing space. It also can depend on the game that you’re playing and what it is you want from the game. That will decide who plays also."
