Hackett weighs in on UEFA’s punishment of Brendan Rodgers and Celtic

The Celtic Star

·26 mars 2025

Hackett weighs in on UEFA’s punishment of Brendan Rodgers and Celtic

Brendan Rodgers has found himself on the wrong side of UEFA’s strict scheduling regulations after a delayed kickoff during his side’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich…

18 02 2025, UEFA Champions League 2024 2025 Play off second leg, FC Bayern Munich Celtic Glasgow, at the Allianz Arena Munich Coach Brendan Rodgers Celtic Glasgow on the sidelines. Photo IMAGO.

Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official Keith Hackett has shed light on the significance of adhering to UEFA’s stringent match-timing protocols that have left the Celtic manager on the UEFA naughty step.

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Despite guiding Celtic towards a potential domestic treble, Brendan Rodgers has faced a difficult two weeks following a recent shock defeat to theRangers. Now, the 52-year-old must also contend with disciplinary action from European football’s governing body.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

UEFA Sanctions Celtic and Rodgers for Kickoff Delay

Last month, Celtic’s Champions League journey came to an end against Bayern Munich. After a controversial 2-1 defeat at home in the first leg, where Celtic midfielder Arne Engels was denied a penalty, the Scottish Champions managed a 1-1 draw in Germany but fell short with a 3-2 aggregate loss.

In the aftermath of the second leg, UEFA has imposed a suspended one-match touchline ban on Rodgers for a delay in kickoff. Additionally, Celtic has been fined £8,345 for the incident.

Hackett has now provided insight into why UEFA took action, emphasising the global coordination required for European fixtures.

Keith Hackett Explains UEFA’s Decision

Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett detailed the reasoning behind UEFA’s strict enforcement of scheduling rules. “Like Premier League games, matches under the UEFA banner are broadcast around the world. UEFA prepares and issues a countdown clock leading up to kick-off,” he explained.

RefereeBenoit Bastien, FC Bayern Munich Celtic Glasgow UEFA Champions League 18 02 2025 Allianz Arena PHOTO Mladen Lackovic LakoPress

“This schedule covers everything from the time each team departs their hotel to when match officials leave theirs. It also dictates warm-up times, pre-match preparations, the timing of the team sheet exchange, and the teams’ entry into the tunnel.

“There is a signal from the touchline by the TV team to the referee to kick off. The entire process ensures coordination with broadcasters across different regions.”

Hackett also pointed to the importance of the half-time interval and the impact of managerial delays. “The same focus applies to the restart after halftime, which could have been the issue if the manager extended his team talk and delayed the restart,” he said.

“Not every country broadcasting UEFA games has extensive panel discussions before a match or after half-time. In many places, there is simply a one-minute introduction film before cutting straight to the referee’s whistle to start the game.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, applauds prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

“It is important that clubs and their managers adhere to the countdown clock.”

It’s unclear why Celtic were slightly late in re-starting the Munich but it’s one the club will have to be more careful about next season as Brendan is carrying a one match suspended sentence.

Celtic Look to Move On as Domestic Campaign Resumes

With the European campaign now behind them, Celtic are set to return to domestic action after the March international break. The Scottish Champions will host Hearts at Paradise on Saturday, 29 March as they continue their push for yet more silverware under Rodgers’ leadership. Celtic are 13 points clear with eight games to play and also have a huge goal difference advantage.

Nicolas Kuehn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Celtic Champions again and again

Effectively Celtic need to win their next four games to secure a 13th title in 14 seasons – an unprecedented period of complete domination in Scottish football achieved under Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon (again), Ange Postecoglou and back to Brendan Rodgers.

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