The Celtic Fans Collective have called on acting chairman Brian Wilson to meet with them as anger reaches breaking point
The Celtic Fans Collective has urged acting chairman Brian Wilson to meet with them amid concerns that frustration has hit ‘breaking point.’ The prominent supporters’ organisation is demanding action from those in charge and says 142 supporter buses have been in touch regarding a possible boycott of a forthcoming home fixture.
Tensions have simmered between the club’s faithful and its hierarchy throughout a forgettable campaign – and now they’re calling on Wilson to engage in direct talks. The Collective pledged to ‘escalate their campaign’ following angry demonstrations outside Celtic Park after their 3-1 loss to Rangers, which brought Wilfried Nancy’s calamitous eight-match spell to an end.
However, the real fury has been directed at the club’s board, with resentment intensified by an ill-judged statement from Celtic in September regarding their bungled summer transfer activity. This spilled over into a contentious AGM that ground to a halt after Ross Desmond – son of principal shareholder Dermot – unleashed a furious tirade, labelling a section of the fanbase ‘bullies.’
READ MORE: Celtic sack Wilfried Nancy after just 33 DAYS as nightmare reign comes to an endREAD MORE: Furious Celtic fans clash with police in protest outside stadium after Rangers humiliation
Non-executive chairman Peter Lawwell departed in December citing ‘intolerable abuse and threats’. Martin O’Neill’s interim appointment might ease tensions on the pitch, but the Collective has cautioned Wilson and his colleagues that their discontent won’t be disappearing in the near future.
The statement said: “On September 9, following a calamitous summer transfer window and a fifth Champions League qualification defeat in a row, 420 Celtic supporter organisations, buses, supporters’ clubs, and fan media outlets signed a joint open letter addressed to the Celtic board.
“The letter outlined three key areas of concern based around seven questions. This letter represented the views of tens of thousands of Celtic supporters who wanted greater clarity around the club’s footballing strategy and modernisation plans, meaningful accountability for repeated failures, and a significant improvement in how the club engages with and treats its supporters.”
“Following the formation of the Celtic Fans Collective and the commencement of a series of protest actions highlighting the Celtic Board’s failure to respond to these concerns, a meeting was arranged between representatives of the Celtic support and the Executive members of the Celtic board. This meeting yielded no progress in addressing the legitimate concerns of the fanbase.
“In the months that have followed, things have gone from bad to worse on the park. Celtic dispensed with the services of Brendan Rodgers and his coaching team, signing off with a devastating personal attack on Rodgers from the largest minority shareholder. The interim appointment of Martin O’Neill temporarily steadied matters, with on-field results improving.
“However, an already difficult season with an underprepared squad was made significantly worse by the inexplicable decision to recruit an inexperienced and ill-equipped manager in Wilfried Nancy to the managerial role, at a point where O’Neill had stabilised the team and reached a Cup Final. This decision resulted in Celtic losing four league matches at a crucial point of the title race, the League Cup Final, and will cost the club millions of pounds in lost revenue and compensation. We now find ourselves where we were 5 weeks ago, with Martin O’Neill and staff back, but significantly damaged in results, player confidence and reputational terms.”
It continued: “When the PLC Board had the opportunity to take responsibility for some of its failings, most notably during the meeting with fans in October and at the cynically aborted AGM, they chose to double down, insisting that they had delivered success, shrugging off the compelling body of evidence that suggested otherwise. When Brendan Rodgers left his position, Dermot Desmond was allowed to use club channels to attack him and lay all blame at his door for the season to that point. When Wilfried Nancy was removed following a historically disastrous tenure, there was not a single word of contrition to be found within club communications.
“Since the joint letter and the founding of the Celtic Fans Collective, the Board has repeatedly taken aim at supporters through a series of punitive decisions. The Green Brigade have been banned since early November, collectively penalising supporters who contribute greatly to the matchday atmosphere and experience, without a full investigation or willingness to engage with the group. Fan media access has been revoked, preventing podcasts from attending club press conferences, including for the women’s team.
“Moreover, the club has published statements chastising supporters, facilitated a disgraceful attack on fans by the son of the largest minority shareholder at the AGM, and released videos making baseless accusations against its own fanbase.
“Where we do agree with a Board member is in interim Chair Brian Wilson’s call for unity on Monday evening. This has been sorely lacking all season and Celtic can only reach its true potential when there is unity across the club: board, manager, players and, crucially, the Celtic support. This is something that all fans want to help push the team in the race for the league title. However, unity can only come through a process of mediation, contrition and reconciliation.
“We are calling on Brian Wilson and representatives of Celtic Football Club to meet with the Celtic Fans Collective in the spirit of reconciliation and a genuine desire to achieve unity, on the same themes presented in the initial open letter. We are keen to get behind the manager and players, given the importance of the months to come.
“However, it is worth noting that 142 active supporter buses contacted us over the weekend, urging the steering group to call for a boycott of an upcoming home match. Fan anger has reached a breaking point, and the underlying causes of this must be addressed. We wish to move towards a period of reconciliation and systemic change, and we call on Brian Wilson to demonstrate that he is serious about building the fan unity he claims to seek.”
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