An "audacious attempt" by Celtic to gain copyright of pictures taken at the club's Parkhead ground resulted in little or no coverage of the team's friendly against Ajax this week.

Regional and national papers ran without images of the game - and some failed to carry even a report after the club announced a new contract system which photographers would have to abide by if they wanted match day passes.

The Scottish Daily Newspaper Society and the Newspaper Publishers Association have been in talks with Celtic amid fears the restrictions could be taken up by the Scottish leagues and then the English Premiership.

David Gordon, at Editorial Photographers UK, said: "All newspapers and freelance photographers boycotted their game against Ajax Amsterdam. Some didn't even bother with a match report.

"The boycott was a result of Celtic's audacious attempt to grab photographers' and newspapers' rights in return for match day passes."

Celtic has cooled its demands, which would have retained the club's right to use images as it wished, and even force photographers to show if they had made extra money from their work at Parkhead, but the dispute continued today.

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