Croker or Aviva may host Celtic Champions League game

Celtic could play a Champions League game in Dublin next season.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell has said the Aviva Stadium and Croke Park are among the venues under consideration because Glasgow’s hosting of the 2014 Commonwealth Games will force the club to move its home Champions League qualifying game next July.

Outlining some of the alternatives to Celtic Park, Lawwell said: “The Aviva, Croke Park or, maybe, down south, a northern Premier League club.”

The Premier League venue in question is understood to be St James’ Park, home of Newcastle United.

Of the Irish option, Lawwell said: “There would be a big support in Dublin. The stadium was full there when we played Liverpool in the summer, so that would be great and there is a precedent in that we played at Old Trafford against Rapid Vienna.

“We’re developing a few options and then we’ll take it to Uefa and see what they think.”

A spokesman for the GAA said no formal approach about using Croke Park had been made by Celtic but observed that there are good relations between the club and the association.

The FAI declined to comment.

Should Celtic opt to keep the game in Scotland, Murrayfield in Edinburgh would appear to be the leading contender. “Murrayfield is a big attraction because it’s near for the supporters, it’s a fantastic stadium and that would be a contender,” said Lawwell. “I think it would be the only Scottish option.

“We need to look at ways of making sure the atmosphere was there and that it was well attended. We’d probably like to make a decision early in the new year, so that we can plan and go for it.

“We’re actually in discussion with Uefa about what options we have. Then, once we’re happy with those options, we go and talk to the relevant owners of the stadiums.”

Meanwhile, one game which definitely won’t be happening at the Aviva Stadium is Ireland against Slovenia on November 15.

Despite the Slovenians flagging the game last week, the fixture will not go ahead. However, a game on that date at Lansdowne Road against different opposition has not been ruled out by the FAI.

If a game does go ahead on that date — four days before the scheduled friendly against Poland in Poznan — it would mean that, under Uefa’s 14-day rule, clubs would have to be notified tomorrow of players being called up to the Irish squad.

And, unless the FAI spring quite a surprise by announcing a new manager in the next 24 hours, Noel King — the interim manager for the last two games after the departure of Giovanni Trapattoni — will be called on again to name the latest panel.

Since overseeing the matches against Germany and Kazakhstan, King has continued to attend games in England, ostensibly wearing his U21 manager’s hat but also keeping an eye on the senior international players.

The FAI’s managerial headhunters Ray Houghton and Ruud Dokter are now set to update the association on progress in the quest for a successor to Trapattoni, with Martin O’Neill and Mick McCarthy still regarded as the leading contenders.

O’ Neill, who has yet to commit to the Irish role, has been sounded out by Crystal Palace about taking over from Ian Holloway at Selhurst Park but there are suggestions that his preference for a Premier League job would be at Craven Cottage where Fulham manager Martin Jol continues to teeter on the brink.