Celtic, Ange Postecoglou and the UEFA Pro Licence issue

By John McGinley

May 30, 2021

Whether Ange Postecoglou does or doesn’t have a UEFA Pro Licence is unlikely to be a barrier to taking charge at Celtic over the coming days.

As reported by BBC Sport, Celtic are in advanced discussions with the Yokohama F. Marinos coach and could announce him as our new boss this week.

There have been concerns circulating amongst the online Celtic support that because Postecoglou doesn’t have the pro licence it somehow invalidates him as a manager, or will mean Celtic suffer further humiliation.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in January 2020 that Postecoglou didn’t have the licence, although he does hold the FFA/AFC Pro Licence.

When Steven Gerrard arrived at Rangers, he didn’t have a UEFA Pro Licence either, so there is precedent for a coach taking one of the top jobs in Scotland without it.

Gerrard worked towards it during his initial spell in Glasgow and completed the qualification in the summer of 2019. [Liverpool FC]

There are many valid concerns with regards to Postecoglou and his suitability for the Celtic role, but this doesn’t appear to be one of them. It would be incompetence on the grandest scale if somehow Celtic had overlooked this and progressed discussions to this stage if it was a problem.

Celtic still have to sell us strongly on his appointment if it happens. They also need to clue us in on the thinking behind appointing a manager without any European experience.

It’s crucial they get that communication right if the supporters are going to get on board and back him from the start.

Ultimately it’s not his fault that the club is a bit of a shambles right now.

In other news, Eddie Howe to Celtic saga leaves season-ticket campaign in even more trouble.