Celtic will appeal against Scott Brown’s three-match Champions League ban after describing Uefa’s punishment for his red card against Barcelona as “excessive”.
Uefa earlier announced that its control and disciplinary committee had decided to give Brown an additional two-match ban on top of the automatic suspension he received for his petulant kick at Neymar duringCeltic’s 1-0 defeat earlier this month.
The Celtic captain was always due to miss the visit of Ajax next Tuesday but he will now also sit out the return match in Amsterdam and the visit of AC Milan, unless Celtic’s challenge is successful.
The Scotland midfielder was shown a straight red, with the game goalless, after bringing down Neymar and then catching him with his boot while the Brazilian was on the ground. Celtic went on to lose 1-0.
Manager Neil Lennon later called French referee Stephane Lannoy’s decision “debatable” and called the offence a “tap” which drew an over-reaction from Neymar.
Immediately after the October 1 match in Glasgow, Lennon said: “If there was any contact, it was minimal. There was a lot more in a game that warranted heavier punishment.”
The decision is a serious blow to Celtic’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages for a second season running.
Lennon has major fitness doubts over winger Derk Boerrigter and defender Mikael Lustig for the visit of the Dutch champions, Adam Matthews and Steven Mouyokolo are long-term absentees.