Celtic fans’ group claims meeting compounds need for ‘urgency of change’ at club

Unrest at Celtic shows no signs of dissipating after a leading supporters’ group claimed a meeting with key club officials on Monday evening merely “compounded the necessity and urgency of change” at Parkhead.

Disillusioned Hoops fans had called off a silent protest ahead of Sunday’s 3-2 win over Motherwell after club hierarchy agreed to meet with the Celtic Fans Collective group to discuss concerns raised in an open letter – which amassed more than 420 signatories from various prominent members of the fanbase – addressed to the board on September 3.

Chief executive Michael Nicholson and finance officer Chris McKay – two of those who have endured calls to step down in the wake of what was widely deemed an inadequate summer transfer window – were the most senior figures among a Celtic delegation in attendance, with under-fire chairman Peter Lawwell not present.

It appears there was no progress towards a truce, however, after the club’s powerbrokers were accused on Tuesday of “remaining detached from the concerns of its supporters and reluctant to confront the need for change”.

A summary of the meeting posted by Celtic Fans Collective – a representative body that exists to advocate for the interests of Celtic fans – stated that “a recurring theme, through all answers and discussions, was a lack of humility, awareness and accountability.”

Intriguingly, the supporters group also claimed that the board were of no mind to investigate further after manager Brendan Rodgers last month called out a “cowardly” club insider for briefing against him to the Scottish Sun newspaper.

The Collective’s statement concluded by expressing “disappointment that the club remained unwilling to engage meaningfully on questions of leadership, governance, and accountability.”

“The meeting produced no tangible outcomes, and many participants left with the view that the club’s leadership remains detached from the concerns of its supporters and reluctant to confront the need for change,” it continued.

“It is our strong belief that yesterday’s meeting compounded the necessity and urgency of change.”

Celtic later responded with a statement of their own.

“It was, and remains, our intention to provide a full minute of the meeting for the interest of the wider fan base,” it read. “However, with content already being distributed online from the meeting, we are also providing an earlier update.

“The club sought to comment openly on the issues raised to the extent that it is possible to do so, without prejudicing club operations and confidentiality.

We acknowledged that the club is not where we want it to be at the moment, that we have not achieved all of our objectives in the summer transfer window and the Champions League, and that mistakes have been made from which we will learn.

“We recognise the concerns raised, share the frustrations of our supporters and valued the opportunity to hear from supporters last night. Our immediate objective is to seek to make progress, without negatively impacting the team on the field of play, and to continue to focus on delivering success this season.

“The club offered to continue to meet with supporters’ organisations moving forward and is committed to ongoing dialogue with our wider support.”