Liel Abada: Celtic winger 'fine' amid Israel-Palestine controversy - Brendan Rodgers
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Liel Abada was taken for a meal by Brendan Rodgers "to see where he was at"
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes Liel Abada is "fine" mentally despite the escalation of violence in the winger's homeland of Israel.
The 22-year-old international is sidelined currently through injury.
But some Israel team-mates have urged him to quit the Scottish champions over a section of Celtic supporters' vocal support for Palestine.
"I went for a meal with Liel last week just to see what he was thinking and see where he was at," Rodgers said.
"He is fine. Naturally he is saddened, like us all, by what is happening. It's a really divisive subject in terms of what is happening."
Some Celtic fans displayed banners stating "Free Palestine, Victory to the Resistance" after the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Celtic disassociated themselves from the "entirely inappropriate" banners, but the North Curve Celtic fan group hit back at the club and has urged supporters to fly Palestine flags at next Wednesday's Champions League game against Atletico Madrid to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.
"But, in terms of him, he knows he has the support of every true Celtic supporter," Rodgers said of Abada. "Every person at the club, we are all backing him and here with him.
"But he is okay. He is just concentrating on getting fit and that's all he is concerned with."
Meanwhile, following a joint statement from the SPFL and Scottish Women's Premier League, clubs in Scotland have been advised to wear black armbands in league games this weekend as a show of respect to those caught up in the Middle East conflict.
The governing bodies will also be promoting an emergency appeal by the British Red Cross through their social media this weekend.
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