Celtic boss hopes fan ban threat changes pyro behaviour

A flare was let off at Villa Park on Wednesday

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes the threat of having no supporters at their Champions League play-off second leg away to Bayern Munich will be the trigger for those who continue to throw flares at matches to change their behaviour.

The Scottish champions have received another disciplinary notice from European football governing body Uefa after a smoke bomb was thrown on to the pitch during Wednesday's game away to Aston Villa.

Celtic, who have warned fans about the risk in making travel arrangements, had been given a suspended ban on selling tickets to away fans following the use of pyrotechnics during their match against Borussia Dortmund in October.

If Celtic are found guilty, the suspended sentence of a one-match ban for their away fans will be automatically imposed and Rodgers said: "Clearly it's not decided yet, but it's serious enough for the club to put that statement out.

"I really hope football can be the beacon of change here. I wouldn't want to get to the point where we go into a game of such magnitude and we can't take our support base - I would be bitterly disappointed for any genuine Celtic supporter."

Rodgers pointed out that Celtic will state their case to Uefa in the hope of avoiding the ban.

However, when asked if it would be a pity if the ban was imposed on thousands of fans because of one flare at Villa Park, he replied: "If it takes something like that, it has to change.

"It's been a series of events that have led to that. We can't keep paying hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fines."

Any further punishment will be determined by Uefa's control, ethics and disciplinary body - with an outcome unlikely until next week - and it is also likely to investigate banners and chanting from the match in Birmingham.

Celtic said in a website statement: "The club will obviously make robust representations to Uefa and will make every effort to ensure that our fans can attend our next Champions League match.

"However, clearly there is a risk that supporters may not be able to attend.

"In light of this situation, it is incumbent on the club to make supporters aware of this risk when considering making arrangements for travel until further information is provided by Uefa."

The Scottish champions were already assured of a place in the play-off stage of the new Champions League format before their 4-2 defeat by Villa.

Celtic were drawn against Bayern on Friday, with the second leg at Allianz Arena on 18 February (20:00 GMT) after a first leg in Glasgow the previous Wednesday.