Celtic v Braga: Fans postpone protest at Europa League game as board agrees to meet

Planned “silent protests” at Celtic Park have been postponed after members of the board agreed to meet supporters.

Hoops fans had planned to continue the escalation of their demonstrations against the way the club is being run when they take on Braga in the Europa League on Thursday night.

But on Wednesday, Celtic Fans Collective, an umbrella body of several supporter groups, revealed they had shelved the plans after the board contacted them regarding their concerns.

A statement released on social media said that CEO Michael Nicholson and finance director Chris McKay had agreed to meet the supporters on Monday.

It comes after a string of protests since the end of the transfer window, which ended in disappointment for many fans, who believed they had failed to strengthen on the back of key players leaving before and after their Champions League exit at the hands of Kairat Almaty.

Anger has continued to fester ever since, with protests held at Rugby Park, when a large section of the away crowd stayed outside for the first 12 minutes, and at Fir Hill when the Celtic end held up thousands of posters demanding the removal of key board members.

Last weekend, sections of Celtic Park stayed silent for the first minutes in the protest that was set to escalate to 29 minutes for the Braga game and 32 minutes for this weekend’s game against Motherwell.

However, that will no longer take place, with further decisions to be made following the meeting with Nicholson and McKay on Monday.

A statement from Celtic Fans Collective said: “This evening, Celtic fan organisations received an invitation from Celtic FC to attend a meeting with the club on Monday, October 6 to discuss ongoing concerns regarding the running of the club.

“In conjunction with the Celtic Fans Collective, supporter organisations have accepted this invitation. Celtic FC’s representatives will include Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay.

“We welcome the club’s decision to meet and engage directly on the issues raised. However, we remain under no illusions about the scale of change still required at board level.

“As a result of this development, the planned continuation of the ‘3-match silence’ has been postponed, in good faith, in the hope and expectation that supporters will now receive full and honest communication from the club.

“We thank every supporter who has stood behind this campaign and helped bring the Celtic board to the table. Without this unity, it would not have been possible. It highlights the strength and influence of a united Celtic support.

“The Celtic Fans Collective will continue its campaign irrespective of the outcome of this meeting, with the clear aim of securing meaningful, positive change for the betterment of Celtic Football Club and its supporters.”