Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be forced to watch from the sidelines when Celtic begin their Champions League journey with a play-off tie against LASK, with an old suspension from his time in Turkey coming back to haunt the midfielder.
The 33-year-old spent six seasons at Liverpool after joining from Arsenal in 2017, making 198 appearances for the Reds and playing a role in their Premier League and Champions League successes under Jurgen Klopp.
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After leaving Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Besiktas in 2023, but his time in Turkey was disrupted by injuries and a lack of regular football.
He later returned to British football by joining Celtic, giving him the opportunity to revive his career under Martin O’Neill.
However, the midfielder’s European involvement has now been delayed by an incident which took place almost three years ago.
Revealed within a report by The Celtic Way, Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently carrying a three-match UEFA suspension dating back to his time with Besiktas and will therefore miss both legs of Celtic’s Champions League play-off against LASK.
The midfielder has been included in Celtic’s squad for the tie, but UEFA’s disciplinary records confirm that he is unavailable for Wednesday night’s first leg at Celtic Park before also missing the return fixture in Austria.
The punishment originates from a Europa Conference League meeting between Besiktas and Lugano in December 2023.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was shown a straight red card in the 90th minute after becoming involved in an altercation with Lugano winger Renato Steffen, who was also dismissed following the incident.
UEFA subsequently handed both players three-match suspensions.
With Besiktas already eliminated from the competition following their final European fixture against Lugano, Oxlade-Chamberlain was unable to begin serving his punishment.
He was subsequently left out of Besiktas’ Europa League squad for the following season, meaning the suspension remained outstanding.
His move to Celtic has now brought the punishment back into effect.
Changing clubs does not erase a UEFA suspension, with outstanding sanctions carried over into future European competitions for which a player becomes eligible.
The three-match ban also has not expired, with UEFA regulations giving suspensions of between three and six matches a five-year enforcement period.
As a result, Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss both games against LASK and will also be unavailable for Celtic’s next European fixture should they progress into the Champions League or Europa League league phase.
It means the former Liverpool man will have to wait even longer for his first European appearance in Celtic colours.