Celtic Fans Collective responds to club’s Green Brigade ban

The Green Brigade have suffered yet another setback as the club announced yesterday that they have banned the supporter group for a further spell of games and may end up closing the entire North Curve.

According to the club’s Supporters Update posted on the club’s website last night , the reasoning behind the extension of the ban is due to ‘safety incidents’ after discussions with the safety advisory group of Glasgow City Council.

The club stated that they’ve been left with no option but to close the first six rows of the rail seating section, and suspend the season tickets of the Green Brigade as well as access to all matches at Paradise and away matches.

It’s a bit harsh wouldn’t you agree? The Green Brigade admittedly have had their moments, but to be treated so shabbily by the club is totally unfair in my view. This after all is a group of supporters who add massively to the match day atmosphere, as well as doing a lot of good work off the park, but get treated with nothing but contempt in return.

A cynic would rightly suggest that the club are taking their frustrations out on the group of supporters who happen to be the most vocal in calling out their gross incompetence. The Celtic Board aren’t fooling anyone, we can see their agenda, and if they think that it will deflect from their failings, then they are sadly mistaken.

Celtic should be handing out olive branches to the support not banning Celtic supporters. If they believe that a threat was made by two supporters at the AGM and they clearly know the two individuals concerned, then why not issue bans against those two individuals and not a whole group of supporters who were not even at the AGM.

Imagine if a shareholder did something that the two Green Brigade guys have been accused of and that shareholder sits four rows in front of you. Now imagine YOU get a ban even though you weren’t at the AGM. How would you feel? Not very happy is obviously the understated answer I would suppose. I’d be absolutely raging and perhaps so would you.

Celtic’s Collective punishment policy is disgraceful and this ban is worse that the first which cam after the alleged incident at the Falkirk game. Hundreds of Celtic fans have been banned for something two shareholders are accused of doing at the AGM. The vast majority of these fans that have been banned by Celtic’s heavy handed management of the situation are NOT shareholders so could not have been at the AGM.

It’s an absolute disgrace. That’s my view please feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments below. Meanwhile here is the view of the Celtic Fans Collective who have posted this response on social media:

‘The Board of Celtic PLC last night launched a vicious and vindictive attack on the GB as an organisation and on two individual members. We give notice that their attempt to divide the Collective will not work. The Collective stands in solidarity with fans who have been banned.’ Celtic Fans Collective