Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers urges fans to cut out pyro after charge
Boss fears supporter or player could get hurt
Brendan Rodgers has urged supporters to cut out the pyrotechnics in the stands as he fears a fan or player could get hurt.
The Celtic boss was speaking on the day the SPFL handed his club, Rangers and Motherwell a charge due to the ‘totally unacceptable’ behaviour of a ‘minority’ of fans during last month's two Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.
The league issued the three top league teams with formal notices of complaint because of the ‘large-scale, organised and illegal pyrotechnics displays’ which it insists pose clear dangers to health and safety.
Both matches kick-off times were delayed, with Celtic and Aberdeen starting 14 minutes late and Rangers versus Motherwell beginning five minutes later than scheduled.
And it is a sentiment shared by Rodgers.
He said: “The safety is of paramount importance I think, firstly for the people in the stands, I always worry about people that are in and around that area when they are going off.
“When you are young, sometimes you don’t see the dangers, you don’t see or think of other people, but that’s a concern for me.
“But my concern is also for the players. When you are preparing for a game of football, it’s detailed, the preparation to the second, so that you are ready and ready to go when the kick-off starts.
“I think we were 14 minutes delay in that semi-final. Now that could be the cause of someone getting injured, especially at this time of the year.”
Tomorrow, Rodgers begins a big week of fixtures with Hibs visiting the east end of Glasgow before a trip to Zagreb to face Dinamo in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
It’s then rounded off with the Premier Sports Cup final against rivals Rangers the following Sunday.
Rodgers admitted it’s his job to plan ahead but insisted his focus is on Hibs tomorrow.
He added: “I’m not going to sit here and say you don’t think ahead, it’s the nature of my job, I have to plan forward.
“But always you have to look to the next game as your priority.
“The point they (Hibs) got against Aberdeen will have helped confidence, and to get that victory against Motherwell last week, that certainly makes the food taste nicer on a Saturday night.”
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.