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Linfield could face sanctions after bottle of Buckfast among objects thrown at Celtic player

Celtic player Leigh Griffiths shows the referee a glass bottle thrown onto the pitch. Picture by Matt Bohill
Celtic player Leigh Griffiths shows the referee a glass bottle thrown onto the pitch. Picture by Matt Bohill Celtic player Leigh Griffiths shows the referee a glass bottle thrown onto the pitch. Picture by Matt Bohill

LINFIELD could face sanctions from UEFA after objects were thrown at Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths during the teams' Champions League tie in Belfast.

A Buckfast bottle, coins and a cup of coffee were among items that narrowly missed the player as he attempted to take a corner in the second half.

Linfield chairman Roy McGivern, along with stewards, quickly intervened in an attempt to try to calm the situation.

There were also reports that missiles were directed at Griffiths as he celebrated Celtic's second goal in their 2-0 victory.

At one point, he was seen making a 5-1 gesture to the home fans, a reference to the scoreline in two Celtic victories over Rangers last season, and he provoked an angry response by tying a Celtic scarf to one of the goalposts at the end of the game.

One supporter made it onto the playing surface but was quickly ejected as police and stewards moved in.

UEFA, European football's governing body, is now expected to investigate and the south Belfast club could face punishment including a fine or even having to play games behind closed doors.

For Griffiths, insult was added to near-injury as he received a booking for apparent time wasting when he showed the bottle to the referee.

Linfield boss David Healy later said he didn't see the incident, but added: "Linfield is a club that has made great strides over the years... you get that in Old Firm games, in Manchester derbies, you are always going to get a ferocious red hot atmosphere."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said it "wasn't ideal" but added that "the game was in a good spirit in the main".

"You sometimes get these scenes throughout the country. It is not just here. It is obviously not what we want to see in the game. I think it was strange him (Griffiths) getting booked for it."

Those incidents aside, the eagerly-anticipated Champions League qualifying round clash at Windsor Park - which had been moved from July 11/12 to avoid a clash with Twelfth celebrations - passed off peacefully.

While Celtic did not take their allocation for the game amid safety concerns, around 200 fans did manage to secure tickets and Linfield announced before the game that they would be allowed into the stadium together via Boucher Road.

The group using the entrance included the unlikely figure of DUP South Down MLA Jim Wells, before he realised his error and walked around to join the Linfield support.

"I was re-routed," he joked afterwards.

The vocal Celtic section was placed away from home fans in the Kop End, where they sported wide range of flags including tricolours, a 1916 'Irish Republic' flag and a Vatican flag.

Meanwhile, many more Celtic supporters without tickets gathered at a 'fanzone' at the Devenish Complex in west Belfast.

In good spirits despite the wet weather, they expressed disappointment at not being able to see their team's victory just a few miles down the road.

Scott Sinclair, the Celtic winger who was the subject of racist abuse in a banner on a Belfast bonfire earlier this week, put the Scottish club ahead after just 16 minutes with the aid of a slight deflection off a Linfield player.

Tom Rogic extended Celtic's lead six minutes later to put the Scottish club firmly in control of the tie ahead of Wednesday's second leg in Glasgow.

The PSNI last night said they made only one arrest in connection with the game, a 25-year-old man for disorderly behaviour.

Superintendent Norman Haslett said: "I would like to pay tribute to and thank the vast majority of fans from both football clubs who behaved impeccably and enjoyed the football match in Belfast between Linfield and Celtic.

"Unfortunately, there were a small number of incidents which police and other relevant authorities will be reviewing in the days to come."