Former Celtic man and Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to the news that Hoops fans won’t be in attendance against Real Betis on Thursday.

The Lowdown: Betis U-turn

It was revealed earlier this month that UEFA has lifted a ban on away fans attending Champions League, Europa League and Conference League fixtures.

The Hoops’ first Europa League group game is against the La Liga side in Spain, with Betis at first allowing Celtic supporters to attend.

However, Celtic then learned that away fans will not be permitted for the opener, with the Hoops confirming the U-turn on Friday.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts

McAvennie was talking to Football Insider in a story on Tuesday evening regarding the development with away supporters.

He described it as ‘gutting’ and wrong of Betis to mess Celtic around regarding details for visiting fans.

“It’s gutting for the Celtic fans.

“But that’s the world we live in at the moment I suppose. Things can change so quickly.

“It’s just awful for the fans who have been looking forward to going. It sounds like Betis changed their minds really quickly which is far from ideal.

“It’s wrong to mess the club around like that.

“It won’t matter though. I’m sure plenty of fans will still travel and make a noise outside the ground.”

The Verdict: Not ideal

Betis’ U-turn with less than a week before the game isn’t exactly ideal, but it is the home team’s responsibility in regards to away fans in UEFA competitions.

Celtic will have the chance to block Betis supporters travelling to Scotland for the return fixture in December, so it will be interesting to see what they decide to do.

Hopefully, not having any Celtic supporters present on Thursday won’t be a huge blow for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but one thing guaranteed is the atmosphere will be electric at Parkhead for the three home group games.

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