By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – Despite being well beaten in both legs, Celtic were dramatically given a Champions League lifeline today after Legia Warsaw were kicked out for fielding an ineligible player – the second time in recent years that the Scots have earned a lucky reprieve.
The financial ramifications are huge with the Poles, instead of the Scottish champions, now set to lose millions of Euros while Celtic found themselves re-instated just hours before the draw for the final qualifying round that precedes the lucrative group stage of the tournament proper.
Legia had dumped Celtic out of the competition thanks to a comprehensive 6-1 aggregate victory but were disqualified after Bartosz Bereszynski came on as 86th minute substitute in this week’s second leg of the third qualifying round.
The 22-year-old full-back was sent off for violent conduct against Apollon in the final match of Legia’s Europa League campaign last season and received a three-match ban. Because he was not registered for the club’s second qualifying round tie against St Patrick’s Athletic, even though he was unable to play, the matches did not count towards his suspension.
UEFA thus ruled that Bereszynski should not have come on this week because he was still suspended. As a result, Celtic were awarded the game 3-0 and squeezed through on away goals. UEFA’s disciplinary board confirmed that Bereszynski had also been hit with a further one game ban.
Legia, who were demoted to the Europa League play-offs instead, have five days to appeal and have asked for UEFA’s reasoning.
Legia official Dominik Ebebenge, whose team had won 2-0 in Scotland after a 4-1 home victory, was furious with the decision saying the club were simply guilty of basic human error.
“This is unjust and completely disproportionate,” he protested. “There have been similar cases in the past which have not punished in this way. This was just a basic human error. We have spent eight years working towards this and now it has been taken away from us. Financially, it’s unimaginable and the players are shattered.”
Celtic have previously been given a reprieve in similar circumstances. They were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Sion in the Europa League three years ago, but the Swiss side were subsequently thrown out also for fielding ineligible players. Sion had signed five players while still under a FIFA transfer ban.
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