- A previous article to feature Rosenborg also touched on the differences between domestic and European sponsors
- See here for previous Season’s Meetings articles
An unusually modern entry in this series, serving to illustrate Uefa’s regulations regarding sponsors and sleeve patches.
While Celtic and Rosenborg didn’t create history by meeting in two European competitions in the same season (Viktoria Plzen and Steaua Bucharest did so in 2017-18), it remains quite a rarity.
The clubs were paired together in the Champions League second qualifying round and, with the stricter sponsorship rules not applying until the play-offs (group stages in Europa League), both wore their domestic kits. Obviously, the front view is far more striking from a Rosenborg point of view, though Celtic had the Magners logo on the backs of their shirts.
For the second leg in Trondheim, Norwegian advertising rules meant that Celtic couldn’t have either the Dafabet or Magners logos present on their third shirt (their away is white) – in addition, unlike the home leg, the shirts didn’t have the SPFL patches.
Celtic won 3-1 on aggregate but lost to AEK Athens in the next round, meaning they were ‘relegated’ to the Europa League and, after they and Rosenborg both reached the group stage, they were paired together again.
Europa League and Respect patches were present now. In addition, Celtic had a different number font and a white panel to house the number on the back while the rules meant that clubs were limited to just one sponsor (a charity logo can be used, too). Size limitations meant that Rosenborg’s SpareBank logo was altered and they opted to wear their white home socks at Celtic Park.
Once again, Celtic’s trip to Norway meant that Dafabet’s logo was absent, but on this occasion they opted to promote the Celtic Foundation.
A pair of 1-0 wins ensured that Celtic finished second in the group and qualified for the knockout stages as Rosenborg were eliminated. Wearing the third shirt with its default black shorts, the Bhoys lost to Valencia in the last 32.
