Neil Lennon makes huge claim about Celtic’s UEFA fines

Neil Lennon has made a huge claim about Celtic’s recent troubles with the UEFA which has already seen them being fined three times this season.

Celtic caused much controversy recently by deciding to close down the standing-only section of Parkhead which is generally occupied by the Green Brigade. This was after the club were fined by the UEFA’s disciplinary committee for a third time this season, this time the pyrotechnics used and banner raised by the club’s ultras in their home game against Lazio last month costing them £12,900.

The club have faced 20 charges from UEFA since 2007. And this one appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as the board decided to close down the Green Brigade’s section for the Europa League clash against Rennes. Their tickets for the Scottish League Cup final have also been withheld by the club indefinitely.

This led to the Green Brigade releasing a scathing statement against the club’s board. And yesterday, Peter Lawwell also made the stance of the club clear. And the Celtic chief executive revealed that the club had paid fines totaling over €500,000 throughout the years.

Now, Neil Lennon has decided to weigh in on the situation. And it feels like the Celtic manager is on the side of the board on this occasion.

While speaking with the Daily Record about how much money the club had lost over the years  due to crowd behaviour, Lennon said:

"“It’s fair to say we could have bought a player for that amount of money. It’s all going to UEFA.“The club have taken this action now. We’re hoping it will be a deterrent for that sort of behaviour, but not for them coming into the ground.“It’s not ideal, but there are rules and regulations the club has to adhere to. Health and safety and so on. We’re all hoping this will be a short-term thing.”"

In theory, Lennon is right. €500,000 could have easily bought Celtic another player. But that money is spread over a large number of years. And even if they managed to sign a half-decent player with that money, it still would not be worth trading the support that they have received from their ultras all these years.

While some change was needed, it is hard not to feel that the club would be losing a huge part of their identity without the Green Brigade. Celtic have one of the most celebrated fan bases in the world and it is very much down to the ultras. We will be hoping that this issue is sorted out between the two parties as soon as possible.