NEIL Lennon believes The Green Brigade have cost Celtic a new player - and expressed hope that locking the ultras group out of Parkhead will lead to a stark improvement in their behaviour.
The treble treble winners announced on Monday they would be closing part of the safe standing section at Celtic Park for the Europa League match against Rennes this evening.
They took the step after being fined £12,900 by UEFA for their fans displaying illicit banners and singing obscene chants at their Group E match with Lazio last month.
That was the latest in a long line of punishments which the Scottish champions – who are facing another sanction for their supporters’ use of pyrotechnics during the Lazio game in Rome earlier this month – have been hit with over the years.
Lennon, whose side have already qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League, feels Celtic could have strengthened their squad with the money they have been forced to pay European football’s governing body.
“It’s fair to say we could have bought a player for that amount of money,” he said. “It’s £500,000 and it’s all going to UEFA. The club have taken this action now. We’re hoping it will be a deterrent for that sort of behaviour, but not for them coming into the ground.
“It’s not ideal. But the club have made the decision and there are rules and regulations the club has to adhere to, health and safety and so on.
“We’re all hoping this will be a short-term thing. There will be a little bit of a void there, but the players can’t think about that and I don’t want any negativity surrounding this game. We’ve had a great campaign, we want it to finish strongly and we want the Green Brigade back ASAP, but in the right manner.”
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