Celtic will resume domestic matters on Tuesday when they play their first pre-season match of the 2026/27 season.
That’s Celtic’s clash against Shelbourne in Ireland, but all of this leads to the opening game of the upcoming Premiership season, and those crucial Champions League qualifiers in August.
Of course, the aim for Martin O’Neill is to return to Europe’s main stage, as UEFA have opted against following FIFA’s road in sending off players for covering their mouths while confronting an opponent.
At the 2026 World Cup, Miguel Almiron was sent off for that reason during Paraguay’s group stage game against Turkey, but it won’t be introduced on the European stage.
Should the SPFL send off players for covering their mouths while talking to an opponent?
It's not a law in Scotland, but it is at the World Cup, as Miguel Almiron found out! 😬
UEFA won’t use FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s red card idea
As many would have seen of late, FIFA are run by a bunch of clowns, led by Gianni Infantino.
From how they have handled this summer’s World Cup, the way Iran was treated, as well as the Somalian referee not being allowed into the United States to do his job. It has all been an utter shambles.
But they have not taken it to another level with the controversy around Folarin Balogun’s red card being suspended for one year by FIFA, which means he will be available for the USMNT’s crucial last 16 World Cup clash against Belgium.
While Infantino gets a lot of things wrong, he was the one behind the idea of sending off players who cover their mouths while confronting an opponent.
It’s probably one of the very few things he has got right.
But UEFA, who aren’t shy to throw verbal pelters at FIFA, have opted against introducing this rule for the 2026/27 European competitions.
Even though the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the rule in April, after the high-profile case of Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in the Champions League last season and was accused of racism.
Are Celtic ready to return to the Champions League stage?
The 2026 summer transfer window has been open for nearly a month, and perhaps the biggest news to come out of it is the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Celtic made a complete mess of last summer, and everyone knows what happened after that.
All roads lead to those two crucial Champions League qualifiers towards the end of August.
If the Hoops manage to mess it up again by not providing O’Neill with an enhanced and refreshed squad, then there will be chaos in Glasgow.
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