Celtic fans cheer before the the Champions League qualifying playoffs second leg soccer match in against Hapoel in Beersheba, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.
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And Romanian midfielder Ovidiu Hoban duly doubled Hapoel’s lead when he took advantage of a comical defensive mix-up between Gordon and Saidy Janko to side foot home from close range three minutes after the break.
September 2012: The use of fireworks at Celtic Park during a Champions League qualifier with Cliftonville costs the Scottish title winners another £4,200 as they are again found guilty of “improper supporter conduct”.
The Scotland worldwide saved Maharan Radi’s first-half penalty before being involved in a defensive mix up with Saidy Janko to allow Ovidiu Hoban to make it 2-0 to the hosts on the night.
Hapoel will now play in the European League.
Beersheba Police said flags would not be allowed at the play-off game, and that any flags would be “confiscated immediately”, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Monday. Celtic fans often wave Palestinian flags at matches but many more were seen during that match.
“Police units will respond in order to ensure that the game will be a professional game and not a political one”, he added.
At the Glasgow game, organizers of the group Palestine Alliance also handed out flyers about the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, which Palestinians call the “Nakba”, or “catastrophe”.
Celtic and Hapoel Be’er Sheva face off in a second game on August 24, this time in Israel, where police are already warning Scottish fans not to cause a stir.
So far, the Parkhead support have already cost their club £190,000 in fines and that total looks set to grow after Europe’s governing body opened a fresh cash against the Scottish champions as a result of illicit banners being displayed against their Israeli opponents.
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“In response to this petty and politically partisan act by European football’s governing body, we are determined to make a positive contribution to the game and today launch a campaign to #matchthefineforpalestine”.
