UEFA: Celtic have no case to answer

“This was simply an attempt by a journalist to manufacture a story and tarnish the good name of Celtic Football Club”

UEFA have exonerated Celtic over allegations of “sectarian” behaviour by a small number of fans during the club’s recent visit to Barcelona.

Six videos were forwarded to UEFA, four of which were dismissed immediately with the other two assessed and found to contain no evidence of wrongdoing.

The story was widely reported in the media, with few titles making their own inquiries. Responding to reports the club issued a statement:

“Celtic Football Club has not been informed of any UEFA investigation concerning our visit to Barcelona and would be surprised if any was to take place.

“Indeed, Celtic supporters have already been praised highly by UEFA for their behaviour and were also applauded by FC Barcelona, the Catalan police, the people of the city and the Catalan media.

“Celtic Football Club states quite clearly that as a club open to all, it stands firmly against all forms of bigotry and sectarianism. This can be seen from the great volume of work which Celtic carries out in this area.

“The club condemns any small minority who choose to indulge in any form of negative or offensive behaviour.”

Reports on the internet suggest that the complaint was made by a “journalist”. The Sun original broke the “exclusive” under the by line Alan Carson. In contrast to the praise from all sides for Celtic fans, when Rangers fans visited the city, British vice-consul Mark Smith admitted he had been embarrassed by the reports of what he called "uncivilised behaviour", while local media El Periodico, Sport, El Mondo and El Mundo Deportivo all condemned the “disgusting behaviour” of the Rangers fans. It is unclear if Mr Carson reported on these incidents.Link:

Rangers fans in Barcelona. Back to the dark age