Football: Celtic withdraws season tickets of Green Brigade members

Scottish football club Celtic has withdrawn season tickets for a section of the support group known as the Green Brigade after it displayed Palestine flags during one of the matches.

Celtic said it made the decision following the group's consistent failure to adhere to club and stadium rules.

"To avoid any misunderstanding...It is as a result of the increasingly serious escalation in these unacceptable behaviours and non-compliance with applicable regulations that the progressive steps are being taken by the Club," Celtic said in a statement.

The move was fast-tracked after the group coordinated a display of solidarity with the people of Palestine by displaying the flags at the Champions League game against Atlético Madrid last week.

The club had requested its supporters to not bring any political banners or flags which could lead to disciplinary fines from UEFA. According to reports, the governing body of football in Europe is investigating the matter and could soon impose a penalty on the Scottish club.

Meanwhile, the Green Brigade accusedthe Celtic board of being hypocritical, citing issues over the club's history and the war in Ukraine. The Israel-Hamas conflict has divided the footballing world. While football club are not taking any sides - a marked departure from their stance at the peak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the players are excerscing their opinion on social media.

While raising the Palestinian flags was the final straw, the group had previously participated in a series of incidents, deemed to be crossing the line by the club.

These included the use of pyrotechnics in the match against Feyenoord in September, displaying an unauthorised banner at Celtic Park on October 4 and displaying violent behaviour towards stewards at Easter Road, Edinburgh, on 28 October.

What is happening between Israel-Hamas?

More than 1,500 Israelis have died after Hamas - a terror outfit operating from the Gaza Strip - launched an ambush attack on Israel last month. As a retaliatory move, Israel has been bombing specific terror locations in the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas out of existence.

However, more than 8,000 Palestinians have lost their lives as collateral damage, according to the claims made by the health ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas. Last week, the Israeli forces launched a ground operation in Gaza which is expected to escalate the conflict.

(With inputs from agencies)