Celtic fans interrupt Stuttgart clash with board protest as tennis balls thrown on the pitch

The fans have been vocally standing against the Hoops' board throughout the campaign

Raging Celtic fans brought the clash with Stuttgart to a halt instantly after tennis balls were lobbed on the pitch.

The latest stand by the punters comes after the Green Brigade's ban remained in place for the Europa League clash. The ultras group have been locked out of Celtic Park since October, and had held talks with the Parkhead decision-makers.

However, after details of this conversations leaked online the board kept the lockout in place. Now the fans have halted the clash with the Bundesliga side.

Just 15 second after the game kicked off, the punters lobbed balls on the pitch and referee Erik Lambrechts stopped the game. On TNT Sports commentary, former Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart commented: "I think, ironically, they got the protest out of the way in the first couple of seconds. They knew they were going to do it, and it's almost in respect of the game to get it done."

Rory Hamilton added: "We do hope that is the end of it, from a spectacle point of view. The fans have the right to make their point known."

The game got back underway after around three minutes after the dozens of balls were cleared. The stunt is the latest in a series of Hoops' fan protests against the board have taken place throughout the season.

Punters held a 12-minute protest at Kilmarnock before thousands of anti-board banners were held aloft at Firhill in the Premier Sports Cup victory over Partick Thistle.

Supporters chucked tennis balls onto the pitch to show their anger towards the board before watching their side crash to a shock 2-0 defeat to Dundee.

Earlier this month, the Celtic Fans Collective - who are backed by more than 500 supporters club worldwide and have been vocal against the club's decision-makers throughout the campaign - demanded the removal of Nicholson while calling for the Green Brigade were reinstated.

The Collective encouraged fans to boycott the clash with Dundee - with large sections of the stands remaining empty.

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