CELTIC are seeking talks with Glasgow City Council in a bid to halt a proposed stadium parking ban.

The club have previously raised "serious concerns" over the plans to prohibit parking within a mile of the stadium on match days that would come into force three hours before games and one hour after they have finished. They are due to come in next season.

Now Celtic has said that after being "inundated" with inquries from fans it will be "doing all we can to ensure the club's voice is heard" saying that they "do not regard these proposals as appropriate or workable in the context of delivering major events at Celtic Park".

The club said it now plans to meet with Glasgow City Council over the issues.

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It comes after an MSP came under fire for allegedly telling a disabled Celtic fan to 'support another team' after he raised a complaint about the parking ban.

The unidentified fan from Newcastle only known as Gordon has told Celtic that the plan to ban parking within a mile of Parkhead on match days, means he cannot now attend home matches, because he cannot walk for more than ten minutes. 

The fan forwarded his concerns to John Mason, the Glasgow Shettleston MSP who is a Clyde FC season ticket holder and who responded by saying: "Thanks Gordon for copying me in.

"Could you think of supporting a smaller more local club that would appreciate your (sic) adding to their crowd?"

According to the council, disabled fans with a blue badge who have no parking facilities at the stadium "would be able to park within the Event Day Permit Zone without limit of time provided you display your blue badge in the correct manner."

The council has been in discussion with Rangers over a similar ban around Ibrox.

The ban was originally expected to be come in in August, for the start of the 2017/2018 football season.

City council papers show that the parking controls at Celtic Park and Ibrox "will be implemented as a rolling programme, throughout the financial year 2018-19".

Celtic said: "Recent council proposals, if approved, would prohibit parking potentially within a mile of the stadium on match days. Celtic once again plan to make the council aware of our serious concerns in relation to these proposed changes.

"We believe this new range of parking restrictions would seriously disadvantage our supporters and we do not regard these proposals as appropriate or workable in the context of delivering major events at Celtic Park.

"As one of Europe’s major sporting institutions, which provides a huge economic benefit to the local economy of Glasgow and the east end of the City, we consider it essential that our supporters’ concerns are addressed.

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The green border marks out the event day parking zone 

"Celtic Park is one of Europe’s largest football stadia and plays host to major events, attended by huge numbers of people and profiling the city worldwide - it is essential too, therefore, that the needs of our supporters, the people who participate in creating these events, are also considered.

"This issue also brings the inadequacy of local public transport links sharply into focus. For some time, Celtic Football Club has campaigned for adequate, integrated, public transport links to Celtic Park on match days and this is also a matter which requires attention.

"Celtic will be delighted to work with Glasgow City Council on these matters and will always aim to ensure that positive solutions can be reached. "

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “As the football club has acknowledged, the matter of event parking is currently the subject of a public consultation exercise – and supporters, local residents and businesses all have an opportunity to make their views known.“

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