Italian job leaves Celtic hanging on

CELTIC were last night forced to wait for a UEFA ruling as AC Milan sought to ensure next month's Champions League clash would go ahead under normal circumstances at the San Siro.

Milan are pulling out all the stops, attempting to hurry through improvements and modernisation to the San Siro.

They have been told that new turnstiles must be installed before supporters can be admitted.

Stadium officials have been given until Tuesday to convince Italian government authorities that the San Siro, also home to Inter Milan, has been brought up to the requested standards.

The famous stadium was one of 25 venues declared unsuitable to host spectators after security checks carried out this week, action arising from the death of policeman Filippo Raciti in crowd violence at last Friday's Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo.

Rather than make a swift decision to relocate the March 7 second leg of the last-16 tie, UEFA is prepared to give the Italians more time to carry out improvements to their ground.

However the logistics of staging such a high-profile match means the saga cannot be allowed to rumble on beyond the middle of next week, and the Stade de Geneve, in Switzerland, remains a fall-back option.