Celtic's potential visit to Windsor Park, provided Linfield can beat San Marinese side La Fiorita in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, will be played on July 14th in order to avoid the 'Twelfth' marches in Northern Ireland.
The Champions League qualifying draw on Monday saw the possible meeting of Celtic and Linfield make headlines for fears of trouble and unrest that would undoubtedly have been caused by Celtic's large travelling support both from Glasgow and the Republic of Ireland landing during key dates in the annual Orange celebrations, but UEFA today confirmed that they managed to come to an agreement with all parties [via BBC].
Celtic's potential Champions League qualifier with Irish Premiership champions Linfield has been pencilled in for Friday 14 July at Windsor Park.
The traditional Tuesday and Wednesday slot used by Uefa will be set aside as the first leg coincides with the 'Twelfth' marches in Northern Ireland.
It's understood the new date has been agreed by the clubs and approved by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The Champions League qualifiers are usually played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but UEFA agreed to hold the match on a Friday, with what will likely be an early afternoon kick-off, to avoid any potential problems.
It had been suggested that the fixtures would simply be reversed, with Celtic hosting the first-leg in Glasgow, but this would have been a blow to Linfield, who understandably wanted to have the first-leg played at their ground to maximise the gate receipts, something that may have been more difficult if they hosted the second leg with their team possibly facing an up-hill battle.
Linfield will host La Fiorita in Belfast on June 28th, and will travel to San Marino on July 4th, as they bid to book their place in the second round where Celtic are waiting.
While this news is no doubt a smart move for all involved, it should still be a rather eventful night.
