Celtic’s AGM descended into chaos on Friday, with Irish director Ross Desmond drawing the fury of fans as he called out “bullies” among the fanbase.

The AGM was adjourned after just 25 minutes, as Desmond – delivering a statement on behalf of himself and his father Dermot – accused sections of Celtic fans of bringing the club into “disrepute.”

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It came amid a remarkable series of events that eventually saw the fans in attendance furiously deliver ‘red cards’ to the board.

Ultimately, chairman Peter Lawwell was forced to cut the meeting short, amid extraordinary scenes in Glasgow.

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Celtic AGM descends into farce as Dermot Desmond issues fiery statement

Tensions were already high before the Celtic AGM got underway on Friday, with the relationship between the club’s board and fans at a particularly low ebb of late.

The words of Irishman Ross Desmond would ignite the fire, as he delivered a statement on behalf of his father, majority shareholder Dermot.

Here’s the sequence that lead to the Celtic AGM being adjourned after 25 minutes.

Ross Desmond – son of Dermot – with some really strong words

“The behaviour of certain sections increasingly brings the club and its fanbase into disrepute.”pic.twitter.com/poU4u2vDnE

— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 21, 2025

 

The Celtic board have come under intense criticism from fans in recent years for their finances and alleged mismanagement of the club.

Celtic have fallen from a regular threat on the European stage to relative also-rans in continental football.

Already on edge, fans were sent over the edge by an incendiary statement by the club’s Irish directors.

Ross Desmond was interrupted by heckles from the crowd on multiple occasions as he attempted to deliver a statement defending the club’s board from criticism.

“Our model is far from perfect but for the most part it has served this club well over the past 20 years. So we will not be bullied by aggressive or rational factions,” the Desmonds’ statement began, setting the tone for what was to come.

We will not be railroaded by those whose only vocation in life is to be anti-establishment and by those who try to degrade the club.

Our focus is on all matters, improving this club step by step, systematically, without ever risking a future. Improving recruitment, investing in data analytics, upgrading facilities, enhancing the stadium and trying to make Celticstronger in every way.

Criticism and advice are welcome and are the right of every supporter but some of what we have seen recently is not constructive, it is destructive and cynical. All it does is strengthen our resolve to protect the integrity and stability of Celtic Football Club.

Our board led by Peter and our executive led by Michael are dedicated Celtic people.

The attempts to dehumanise and vilify them are shameful. These are people with families, they love the club every bit as much as anyone here and when we are not performing they suffer just as much as anyone.

They work tirelessly, often under intense pressure. They do an outstanding job at this club and we are very lucky to have them.

Let me start by dispensing with the absurd caricature some people spread about my father and state some of his Celtic credentials. He’s a passionate and lifelong Celtic supporter.

He first put money into Celtic more than 30 years ago when Fergus McCann asked him for help. He became the principal shareholder when Fergus sold out and took on the responsibility that came with that. He wants the club to be healthy, successful and still thriving decades and even centuries from now.

The board shares those desires and that’s why the board respects financial reality. We act prudently, not recklessly. Those who accuse the club of hoarding cash or being in it for the money display a deep misunderstanding of financial responsibility.

The board is a duty of care to the shareholders, to the supporters and to the future of this club. We don’t declare dividends to distribute surplus cash to ordinary shareholders as many other businesses do. Cash is retained and used to sustain and develop our club.

Fans in attendance were growing audibly angrier and angrier as Desmond’s statement continued, and he would reiterate his remarkably strong rhetoric about the club’s fans.

The Green Brigade, Celtic’s best-known ‘ultra’ fan group, have been criticised by the club in recent weeks, and were again targeted by Desmond.

“The behaviour of certain sections increasingly brings the club and its fanbase into disrepute,” Desmond said.

These people are bullies and they try to hijack the behaviour of Celtic supporters. We cannot allow them to define who we are. I’m well aware of the target I put on my back when I said this.

Eventually, the anger in the room saw chairman Peter Lawwell step in and call an end to proceedings.

It was an utterly farcical situation, as fans displayed red cards and chanted “sack the board” amid a shocking atmosphere.

Celtic Shareholders show the board the Red Card at the AGM just now pic.twitter.com/d1Pru85xVU

— Underground CSC (@csc_underground) November 21, 2025

Celtic have since released a public statement on the issue:

Regrettably, due to the continuing disruptive conduct of a small number of individuals preventing the orderly management of today’s AGM, we were required to conclude the meeting earlier than we had planned.

Such conduct is completely unacceptable and hugely disappointing, and while today’s events are completely outwith our control, clearly we regret the impact on our shareholders who were deprived of the opportunity to take part in an orderly and constructive meeting.

Chairman Peter Lawwell called a poll on the resolutions at the end of the meeting, the results of which will be made available once counted and verified by our registrar, Computershare.

Should any shareholders wish to raise a question, they can do so by contacting our investor relations department and we will endeavour to respond to any queries.

Surreal scenes, and it appears as though the chaos at Celtic FC shows no signs of abating any time soon.

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