Celtic pay for fan pitch invasion

Uefa has fined Celtic £42,000 after a supporter ran on the pitch at their Champions League match against Manchester United last week.

The fan's actions cost Celtic an extra 20,000 euros (£17,000) after that figure was suspended following a similar incident last season.

Celtic were fined £12,500 after a supporter confronted AC Milan's Dida.

John Paul Murphy entered the playing area in the 35th minute of the Group E match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Celtic were warned that the extra fine could be triggered should Uefa deem they had failed to control their fans again over the next two years.

John Paul Murphy entered Celtic Park's playing area during the match, when the Scottish champions were leading 1-0.

On Thursday, the 19-year-old pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a breach of the peace and being drunk in a sports ground - and was remanded in custody with his sentence deferred.

Uefa had awaited reports from the referee and match delegate before deciding on its next action.

Punishments for pitch invasions available to Uefa's control and disciplinary committee range from fines to docking points or instructing European matches to be played behind closed doors.

Part of the fine was imposed for the late start to the tie.

An appeal may be lodged within three days, but a spokesman for Celtic said: "We accept the judgement and there will be no appeal."

Manchester United could also face an investigation if match delegates mentioned alleged sectarian chanting by a section of their support at the same match.