The Champions League opponents of Celtic have received fan bans.

Both Feyenoord and Lazio supporters are not permitted to attend the away leg of the upcoming doubleheader between the two teams in Celtic’s Champions League group.

The following two matchdays in Group E feature a matchup between the Bhoys and Atletico Madrid. Italians and Dutch players alternate placing each other at home and away in the meantime.

Authorities in Rome earlier this week forbade Feyenoord supporters from attending the Lazio game in retaliation for what seemed to be fan disorder in the past.

 

The Eredivisie team responded by announcing that Lazio supporters would not be accepted in Rotterdam in a statement of their own.

“No away fans are welcome at Feyenoord’s home game against Lazio on October 25 or the rematch in Rome on November 7,” Feyenoord declared.

“A delegation from Feyenoord that had traveled specifically to Italy this week was informed this week that Rome does not accept its supporters. The mayor, police commissioner, and chief public prosecutor, collectively known as the “triangle,” and Feyenoord do not believe it is appropriate to accept Italian supporters at De Kuip in light of the recent decision made by the Italian Ministry of the Interior. This is from a standpoint of safety as well as, for Feyenoord, a standpoint of sportsmanship. As a result, no away supporters are permitted to watch Champions League matches.

“In the recent past, a Feyenoord committee made two trips to Rome to talk about the potential for admitting away crowds. Feyenoord’s plan was to admit at least 1,200 to 1,500 away supporters at each game. Feyenoord viewed this as a plausible and responsible situation and mentioned the nearly incident-free match against Atlético Madrid last week as supporting evidence. This view appeared to be shared by Lazio as well. The situation for the home game in Rotterdam was altered when the Italian authorities made a different choice.

Although it’s a complex scenario, it actually makes both clubs’ home field advantage stronger than it otherwise would be.

Typically, away teams get access to at least 5% of stadiums for their traveling fans. The Bhoys recently attracted a sizable crowd in Rotterdam, and it is anticipated that they will travel well to both Madrid and Rome for subsequent fixtures.

The Hoops would certainly profit from one of Lazio or Feyenoord winning both matches, leaving Brendan Rodgers’ team fighting it out for third place given Celtic’s perilous position in the group.

Most crucially, Celtic must beat Atletico in the upcoming weeks, with the Spanish team traveling to Glasgow first on October 25.