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McAvennie: Celtic board have 'bent over backwards' for Green Brigade - 'from what I hear...'
Celtic supporter group the Green Brigade are getting “too big for their boots”.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie claimed that Celtic have “bent over backwards” for the group despite recent controversy.
The club recently banned season ticket holders of the group from attending home matches after asking supporters not to bring flags associated with the conflict in the Middle East.
The Green Brigade coordinated a pro-Palestine display for their 2-2 Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid.
The Hoops have received multiple fines from UEFA just this season due to Green Brigade displays, while Celtic also cited gate rushing and illegal access to the ground for the ban.
McAvennie admitted the group can be “brilliant”, but suggested the club are attempting to keep them in check.
“I don’t think it’s just recently with the Palestinian flags. It goes a lot deeper than that”, he told Football Insider.
“I think from what I hear from the club, they’ve had conversations with them, they’ve asked them to do certain things, they’ve asked them to stop doing certain things that they haven’t stopped doing, so it goes a lot deeper than just flags.
“I know a lot of people at away games, who tell them to get off their seats, they’re moving older people off their seats because they all want to be together.
“Basically all these hoods and that kind of nonsense. They tell them to go. I think Celtic have bent over backwards in giving the Green Brigade the freedom to do a lot of what they want.
“I’ll be honest, the Green Brigade have been brilliant sometimes. But I just sometimes think that they’re starting to think that they’re a bigger part of the club than the board of directors. There’s only one winner when that happens, the rest of the fans, the over 55,000, don’t agree with it.
“I think there’s no politics in football, you shouldn’t bring it into football. There’s always going to be someone who disagrees with you. They’re getting a bit too big for their boots and I think the club’s trying to reign them in a bit.”
In other news, Celtic fans have reacted after another Hoops ultras group walked out in solidarity with the Green Brigade.