Ronny Deila has implored the troublesome element of the Celtic support to change their behaviour before the club is made to play a game behind closed doors.

 

Deila, the manager, reacted after Uefa announced it had opened a disciplinary case against Celtic over crowd disturbances in the away end at their game against Dinamo Zagreb last Thursday.

Uefa's disciplinary panel will consider the case on February 19, coincidentally the date of Celtic's home leg against Inter Milan in the last 32 of the Europa League. It is the sixth time in three years that Celtic have been in trouble over their supporters' behaviour, and an extreme but possible sanction for would be to play at home European game with all or part of Parkhead closed to supporters.

Celtic were fined £12,600 after fans chanted in support of the IRA at a Europa League home game against Rennes, and then £21,000 when flares were set-off and an abusive banner towards Uefa was unfurled in an away game against Udinese.

A £4,200 fine followed when a firework was discharged during a Champions League qualifier at home to Cliftonville last year and then a £42,000 penalty for displaying an "illicit banner" in a home game against AC Milan.

Earlier this season there was a fine of £15,900 for another "illicit banner", in support of Palestine, was displayed at home to KR Reykjavik. The latest charge relates to trouble at last week's game in Zagreb, when a flare was discharged at the start of the game and there were scuffles between fans and police.

"I think it is very sad if this is the consequence because 99 per cent are very good supporters, with a very good reputation, and that one percent we have to stop," said Deila. "Because if now that [closing the stadium] could be the end product and that is not good for the club or Scottish football.

"If you continue doing the same mistakes you will get consequences and that is how it is. Hopefully now it is nothing big and we can stop this right now."

Deila said it was up to the supporters to take responsibility because there was only so much the club could do. "That's very hard for the club to control. That's the responsibility of the supporters and the supporters clubs. We need to be finished with it and concentrate on football. It's about values and how we want other nations and teams and people to look at Celtic.

"It's been fantastic for so many years and 99.9 per cent is good now as well. That's one of the biggest things about Celtic - the supporters - and we have to keep up that reputation."

Ironically, Inter have had their own ground, San Siro, closed in the past because of crowd disorder, by the Italian League in 2013 after racist chanting and by Uefa for three Champions League group games in 2005, one of which was against Rangers.

When his thoughts turned to the more appealing aspect of the fixture as a whole, Deila said he was "delighted" with being drawn against Inter. He has never previously visited San Siro but does have a previous connection with the Serie A club's manager, Roberto Mancini.

When Mancini was in charge of Manchester City, and Deila was boss of Stromsgodset, the pair met at City's training ground. Deila was grateful to have been invited to the club on an intelligence-gathering exercise. "It was a great experience," he recalled. "It is so important to get references from the highest level and find out what the best are doing.

"Manchester City are one of the biggest clubs, maybe the biggest now in the world. I talked a lot with the staff there, I had a talk with Mancini and also a very good talk with Patrick Vieira who I have big respect for. Roberto had an answer for every question I had. He is very clear on how he wants to play football. Now he wants to build a culture of winning. I only spoke to him that one time. I won't be phoning him now..."

The first leg promises to deliver one of the central experiences of being a Celtic manager: a European tie in front of a packed Parkhead crowd. Attendances have been modest in the Europa League so far, with figures of around 30,000 for the home group games, but a rematch between the 1967 European Cup finalists seems certain to fill Celtic's ground for the first time this season.

"I have only experienced it [Parkhead being full for a major European tie] when sitting in the stands, so it is going to be hopefully my first time to experience that. That is also why I came here, to play these matches in Europe and to develop myself and the team."