Brendan Rodgers issues strong rebuke to Celtic fans over pyro ban threat - 'you don't care about your club'

Celtic were fined close to £17,000 by UEFA and given a suspended ban from selling away tickets for one European match after their supporters let off fireworks at this month’s Champions League tie at Borussia Dortmund.

It follows similar incidents over a number of years which has resulted in Celtic being served with numerous fines and warnings by European football's governing body.

The away fan travel ban will hang over the club for two years so while the Hoops faithful will still get to travel to Bergamo to watch their team take on Atalanta on Wednesday, any future pyro transgressions would likely see the sanction invoked.

Rodgers used his pre-match press conference ahead of the top of the table clash against Aberdeen to issue a strong rebuke to supporters who have put the club in the dock.

The Celtic manager said: "We don't need the pyrotechnics for great support. This support that we get at home and away games is absolutely incredible, and we can't let that type of behaviour dictate whether fans can be in a position of not attending a game, because that's not fair, it's not right.

"People that have followed Celtic home and away for years and years and years should never be getting banned, and like I said, it's not something that we need. We aren't a club that needs that to ignite our support base.

"What we bring to a stadium in colour and noise is absolutely amazing, and I hope this does end that - because it wouldn't be right for any of our supporters to miss a game. We can't afford for that to happen and if it does, then it's totally on a minority of our support, it's as simple as that.

"It's nothing to do with football, and if you do keep doing it then you show that you don't really care. You don't care for the team, the support and the club because the club are ultimately getting fined as well. If you do it, you are clearly showing you aren't worried about your own club - you're only worried about yourself.”