Celtic Back In The Champions League

[bibblebub]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28701951

Legia Warsaw shouldn't have fielded an ineligible player but it was for just the last 2 minutes when the scoring was all done and dusted, with Celtic well beaten by 6 goals to 1. There does seem to be a fair chance that it was a genuine error by Legia, not a deliberate attempt to cheat.

To award a 3-0 scoreline so that Celtic now qualify on away goals is a ridiculously arbitrary decision. The penalty for such a rule infringement ought to be either ejection from the competition or something lesser that doesn't completely reverse such a decisive scoreline.

Any thoughts?

[angie55]

It may seem harsh, but there are rules when players are suspended. Legia broke those rules, clearly through human error as I understand it, so the club must suffer the consequences. My husband was secretary of a non league club for 5 years, so I'm aware there is intense pressure to ensure the "paperwork" is correct and inform the manager which players are ineligible for certain games. I see similar offences in the past have been punished differently, so there is inconsistency. As for Celtic, the 3-0 arbitrary scoreline effectively eliminates Legia on away goals, so that's presumably the reason for that. Most seasons in the FA Cup you will see some non league side thrown out for fielding an ineligible player and the "losing" side re-instated.

[jackthehat]

Mrs JtHs frustration at Celtic's inability to sort itself out in Europe has not been lessened by this bizarre decision......

Perhaps Legia shouldn't have been allowed to profit from the error but neither should the Bhoy's, especially given the comprehensive beating over these two legs.

[piggynose]

i watched the game in an irish bar full of scots, and said ironically wouldn´t it be funny if theyd fielded an illegible player, after the final whistle

[douglas9401]

It does seem grossly unfair, right up to the point where the (ahem) bhoys have to take to the pitch again and show us all what they're made of, failing miserably and publicly to change opinion that winning the Scottish league is anything special.
Still, a few million in the bank for an admin error will be welcome.

[bibblebub]

Hopefully Celtic will give a similarly inept performance in the next round, 'cos they don't deserve to be there.

[angie55]

Celtic don't deserve to be there on the evidence of their performance, but Legia don't deserve to be there either because of their incompetence in the paperwork department.