Celtic reinstated to Champions League

[Day]

it's a sad day for football, even if ultimately the mistake was Legia's. It's just devastating that UEFA can't sort another, more fitting punishment for the error.

You can't just make up the rules as you go along, in 2011 Sion played ineligible players against Celtic, again they forfeited the game 3-0, that is the punishment for breaking the rules. It's far from being a sad day for football. Massive overreaction by yourself on this one.

[Albert]

You can't just make up the rules as you go along, in 2011 Sion played ineligible players against Celtic, again they forfeited the game 3-0, that is the punishment for breaking the rules. It's far from being a sad day for football. Massive overreaction by yourself on this one.

If I recall the circumstances, they fielded players signed under an embargo, and had no good reason to have fielded them. That is an entirely different situation of a team completely going against regulations, not just a small clerical issue.

Simply shouting "the rules" is how we get stuck in a rut as a society. The simple point is that if rules are used to come to a ridiculous result, they need to be fixed, as they clearly aren't performing their intended purpose, hence there are appeals processes and the way rules are worded is reviewed and changed over time.

Are you seriously saying that a paper work issue is deserving of a winning team being dumped out of the competition or are you simply saying "those are the rules"?

[Day]

If Warsaw have made a paperwork boo boo meaning a player should not have played then yes, they should forfeit the game 3-0, if that means they are dumped out of the competition then oh well, should have scored more goals. Just think....if they didn't concede that away goal they would still be in the competition today.

[GeneralRam]

In regards to UEFA rules -

 

A banned player WILL result in a forfeited match.

An ineligible player MAY result in a forfeited match.

 

Harsh on Celtic but rules are rules.

[ramexpat]

if they didn't concede that away goal they would still be in the competition today.

 

Or score one of their 2 missed penalties

[StaffsRam]

We should all spare a thought for the real victims in all of this....Southampton. Thought they were getting a new Keeper, now probably not.

[CrimsonRam]

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[Albert]

If Warsaw have made a paperwork boo boo meaning a player should not have played then yes, they should forfeit the game 3-0, if that means they are dumped out of the competition then oh well, should have scored more goals. Just think....if they didn't concede that away goal they would still be in the competition today.

It's not even that simple actually. It would have been an interesting test case, that's for sure, but there's nothing stopping UEFA from knocking them out all together for the player, as there are rules against advantageous forfeits. There was a case of a forfeit in a similar circumstance going to a playoff in the 90s if I recall, but if Legia had been in a position to "win anyway", it would have likely been a lot uglier in that regard.

[Purpleram]

I hope they appeal and I hope they win, it stinks, but then everything about Eufa and FIFA stinks

[AmericanRam]

I feel for Legia and their fans.However,as others have said rules are rules.Celtic next plays NK Maribor who thet will actually probably beat.They got lucky again.

[-JW-]

Watching Celtic in the champions league is normally more entertaining than watching English clubs so I'm pleased by this. Not sure about the massive overreaction though? They clearly broke the rules and have been punished in the correct way. If you're disqualified from driving, is it OK to drive round the corner to the shop because it's only 2 minutes away? No.

[Bris Vegas]

If Warsaw have made a paperwork boo boo meaning a player should not have played then yes, they should forfeit the game 3-0, if that means they are dumped out of the competition then oh well, should have scored more goals. Just think....if they didn't concede that away goal they would still be in the competition today.

 

Breaking the rules usually results in the standard 3-0 victory. But obviously this is subject to change depending on the situation. Legia would have been kicked out regardless of whether the first leg result was a 4-1 victory or an 11-0 victory.

 

If that wasn't the case, anyone leading with a 4-0 victory from the first leg may aswell not bother turning up for the second leg and just forfeit a 3-0 loss to their benefit.

 

On the actual inicident itself, it's utterly bizarre and UEFA should use common sense and allow Legia to go through. It was obviously some kind of error - it wasn't intentional - and it had zero effect on the outcome.

 

Celtic should order UEFA to overturn the decision. But then again, it's easy to say that as a neutral fan and I'm sure the money men at Celtic don't agree and will be breathing a huge Bananas of relief.

[Albert]

Watching Celtic in the champions league is normally more entertaining than watching English clubs so I'm pleased by this. Not sure about the massive overreaction though? They clearly broke the rules and have been punished in the correct way. If you're disqualified from driving, is it OK to drive round the corner to the shop because it's only 2 minutes away? No.

It would be a bit like having a 3 week suspension on your licence, it being 4 weeks later, having put in the forms to make sure your licence is valid again and going for a drive, only to be given a serious charge for "driving without a licence" because you happened to forget to fill out a box on the form. It's not like UEFA had informed them (or needed to) of the error, it's not as though the player hadn't already sat up the 3 European matches. It just seems it was just a case that he wasn't registered for the previous match, whether that was due to him needing to be registered differently for the season (due to age) or not remains to be seen.

[Day]

If that wasn't the case, anyone leading with a 4-0 victory from the first leg may aswell not bother turning up for the second leg and just forfeit a 3-0 loss to their benefit.

 

Wouldn't be the same as fielding an ineligible player, pretty sure you would just forfeit the game 3-0 tho.

[IlsonDerby]

Agree with Albert. 

 

Everything is not black and white as Daveo would have you think and there should be room for common sense on an incident by incident basis to cover the grey area. 

 

Sion played these players knowing full well they were ineligible and as such that is black and white. 

Warsaw left out this player under the assumption he was banned for the first 3 matches of the tournament before bringing him on in the dying embers of a match long decided. 

 

Do we think an internal investigation and the sacking of a secretary really makes up for the players/management and fans who gave more than enough into getting through to the next round. Absolute shambles. 

 

For me the law is more serious and important than an association's rules and in law for someone to be guilty there has to be a guilty mind (mens rea) if there is no guilty mind then there is no crime... like if Warsaw were unaware that they had broken the rules then they wouldn't be found guilty as they had complied with the rules to the best of their knowledge. 

[trekkie_ram]

A f**king annoying armed forces mantra is: "ignorance is no excuse".

[Day]

Agree with Albert. 

 

Everything is not black and white as Daveo would have you think and there should be room for common sense on an incident by incident basis to cover the grey area. 

 

Sion played these players knowing full well they were ineligible and as such that is black and white. 

Warsaw left out this player under the assumption he was banned for the first 3 matches of the tournament before bringing him on in the dying embers of a match long decided. 

 

Do we think an internal investigation and the sacking of a secretary really makes up for the players/management and fans who gave more than enough into getting through to the next round. Absolute shambles. 

 

For me the law is more serious and important than an association's rules and in law for someone to be guilty there has to be a guilty mind (mens rea) if there is no guilty mind then there is no crime... like if Warsaw were unaware that they had broken the rules then they wouldn't be found guilty as they had complied with the rules to the best of their knowledge.

Can you explain why the chairman has held up his hands, said my bad and the club are not appealing?

Also this isn't law, it's football and you register as a club to the rules set out by the governing bodies. All clubs will have copies of the rules for each competition. If they are unaware someone at the club is at fault, the chairman knows this as he's held his hands up.

[IlsonDerby]

Can you explain why the chairman has held up his hands, said my bad and the club are not appealing?

Also this isn't law, it's football and you register as a club to the rules set out by the governing bodies. All clubs will have copies of the rules for each competition. If they are unaware someone at the club is at fault, the chairman knows this as he's held his hands up.

 

Because he knows that they have broken the rules and UEFA are clearly taking a black or white stance on it. 

I'd flip what you said to Albert about it being derby instead around and change it so Derby have just beaten someone 6-1 on aggregate in the qualifiers for europe and we had made the same mistake. Having spent

[Day]

Because he knows that they have broken the rules and UEFA are clearly taking a black or white stance on it.

I'd flip what you said to Albert about it being derby instead around and change it so Derby have just beaten someone 6-1 on aggregate in the qualifiers for europe and we had made the same mistake. Having spent

[Bris Vegas]

But I still would have seen the games that I paid for?

If it was a genuine mistake at the club I would expect them to appeal regardless of what we think UEFA will do anyway.

The fact they are not appealing speaks volumes to me.

 

Obviously it was a genuine mistake - why else would they do it when the game was long decided.

 

I don't know why Legia aren't appealing, that's also pretty baffling considering how much money is potentially involved.

 

I followed Legia quite abit last season and they've got a decent team. You'd back them to make the Champions League group stages if given a nice playoff tie and there is a lot of money at stake in those rounds.

 

The Europa League doesn't compare so I'm really not sure why they aren't kicking up more of a fuss. If it was the other way round you could guarantee that Celtic would be complaining to the heavens over the decision.