UEFA has confirmed it is examining footage appearing to show Celtic supporters involved in sectarian chanting in Barcelona earlier this month.
Several videos have been brought to the governing body's attention, and an investigation has opened which could lead to disciplinary action being brought against Celtic.
A spokesman for Uefa confirmed that the footage included chanting outside an
d inside the Nou Camp, as thousands of Celtic supporters arrived in the city for the Champions League last-16 clash on 4 March. Celtic, 3-2 down from the first leg, lost 1-0 in Spain and crashed out of the tournament.
The footage includes videos of supporters at the 'fan-zone' designated for visiting supporters. "We have received some footage showing Celtic supporters singing some alleged anti-Queen and pro-IRA songs – sectarian songs," the spokesman explained.
The footage involves a small minority of supporters chanting the banned songs, however Uefa stressed that all incidences were unacceptable.
"Basically we take care of all manifestations of sectarian singing," Uefa said. "The only condition is that it must be in the immediate surrounding area of the stadium. There was alleged sectarian singing inside the stadium. If the investigation is conclusive, then a disciplinary case would be opened."
That could be a slow process, with the Uefa spokesman adding: "It will depend on the easiness of having these songs understood and the quest of finding other evidence."
Celtic have not been contacted by Uefa officials regarding the investigation, which is in its early stages, and stressed they "would be surprised" to be the subject of a probe.
A club statement said: "Indeed, Celtic supporters have already been praised highly by Uefa for their behaviour and were also applauded by FC Barcelona, the Catalan police, the people of the city and the Catalan media.
"Celtic Football Club states quite clearly that as a club open to all, it stands firmly against all forms of bigotry and sectarianism. This can be seen from the great volume of work which Celtic carries out in this area. The club condemns any small minority who choose to indulge in any form of negative or offensive behaviour. As a club open to all since 1888, Celtic once again re-iterates its commitment to combating any form of bigotry or unacceptable conduct."
In 2006, Rangers were fined £13,300 for the conduct of their supporters during a Champions League tie with Villarreal. Uefa originally found Rangers fans not guilty of discriminatory chants but that decision was challenged by disciplinary inspector Gerhard Kapl.
The governing body had said it could not tackle sectarianism because it was a particularly Scottish social problem. But Rangers were "severely warned" about their responsibility for any future misconduct of their fans.
The full article contains 461 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
