A British television network apologised to viewers after screening images of Celtic fans with offensive anti-monarchy banners at a Champions League game in Poland.
Some supporters of the Glasgow club were seen near a banner proclaiming “f… the Crown’’ at the game against Ukraine club Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time).
It also said “Sorry for your loss Michael Fagan”, a reference to a Buckingham Palace intruder who crept into Queen Elizabeth II’s bedroom in 1982 while the monarch was asleep.
An Associated Press report said the Celtic players wore black armbands though fans in Warsaw displayed a banner with an expletive. It reflected the club’s historic links to Ireland and some fans’ opposition to the British monarchy.
A shot of the banner was briefly screened on BT Sport, the British TV network screening the match., which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Queen Elizabeth II died six days ago at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, aged 96. Her state funeral is being held in London on Monday.
Meanwhile, Celtic’s Glasgow rivals Rangers, played the British national anthem before their 3-0 Champions League home loss to Napoli despite Uefa rejecting requests to play the anthem before kickoff.