Celtic charged over fans waving Palestine flags at Hapoel match

Celtic. (Scott Heppell/AP)

NYON, Switzerland — UEFA has charged Celtic over fans displaying dozens of Palestinian flags at a Champions League game against an Israeli opponent.

UEFA says its disciplinary committee will judge a case of "illicit banners" on Sept. 22. The Scottish champion is likely to be fined.

Political banners and protests are prohibited in stadiums at matches organized by UEFA.

The flags were displayed mostly in one corner of Celtic’s stadium during a 5-2 win against Hapoel Beer Sheva in a playoff round, first-leg match on Wednesday.

The return match is in Israel on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the elite 32-team group stage.

Celtic fans often display some Palestinian flags at domestic and European matches, though many more were seen for Hapoel Beer Sheva’s visit.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.