Celtic fans will agree with these striking new CIES survey findings

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A new CIES Football Observatory survey has backed what many Celtic supporters have been saying for years about modern football.

Football fans are not demanding action on goal celebrations. They are far more concerned about time wasting and diving.

• 78.1% want further measures against time wasting
• 67.1% want further measures against diving
• Only 16.4% want action on excessive goal celebrations

The message is clear. Supporters want football authorities to focus on the issues that actually disrupt matches.

Celtic fans know why time wasting matters

Celtic supporters will not need convincing that time wasting remains one of football’s biggest frustrations.

Opponents looking to protect a result regularly attempt to slow matches down. Delayed restarts, lengthy stoppages and players going to ground too easily all damage the rhythm of a game.

That is why recent efforts to reduce time wasting have generally been welcomed.

Football authorities have already recognised the issue through rule changes designed to increase effective playing time. The CIES findings suggest supporters want that work to continue.

Goal celebrations are not the real problem for Celtic fans

The gap in the survey results is striking. Nearly five times as many respondents want action on time wasting as those who want restrictions on celebrations.

Those figures should leave football’s decision-makers in little doubt about where supporters believe the game’s priorities lie.

Celebrations are part of the spectacle. Goals are the moments supporters wait for. Policing that emotion should not be the priority when bigger issues remain unresolved.

Diving and time wasting can influence matches. Goal celebrations rarely do.

These findings will not surprise many Celtic supporters. The priority is not stopping players celebrating goals. It is tackling time wasting and diving properly.