Chris Sutton has welcomed Willie Haughey’s midweek pledge to invest in Celtic, describing it as a much-needed and potentially positive step at a time when the club feels deeply fragmented.
15th February 2026; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Ex Celtic star Chris Sutton
While Celtic were away in Stuttgart for their Europa League tie, Haughey was back in Glasgow working on a proposal aimed at bringing supporters closer to the heart of the club. The lifelong fan has outlined plans to invest up to £10 million in Celtic shares and to launch what he is calling the Celtic Season Ticket Alliance.
The idea is straightforward but ambitious. Membership would be limited to season ticket holders and, for every 10,000 supporters who sign up, Haughey has committed to purchasing £2 million worth of shares.
Should the full £10 million be invested, supporters aligned with the initiative would hold more than five per cent of the club, enough to trigger the right to call an Extraordinary General Meeting and, crucially, to have a meaningful voice in boardroom matters.
Celtic’s off-field issues have dominated much of the season, with protests, boycotts and fan unrest running alongside inconsistent performances on the pitch. The sense of disconnection between supporters and the hierarchy has been hard to ignore, and Haughey’s proposal is being viewed by many as an attempt to rebuild trust and unity.
Reacting to the announcement, Chris Sutton struck an optimistic tone. He acknowledged that some supporters remain sceptical but stressed that Haughey’s intentions should not be dismissed lightly.
He wrote in RecordSport:
“We have to see how it unfolds, but I am genuinely optimistic it could be a positive first step for the club. Some people are sceptical about Haughey’s Season Ticket Alliance but we are talking about a smart guy here—someone who has always been a huge Celtic supporter.
“Thank goodness for Willie’s plan and voice of reason. He’s offering to put his money where his mouth is by potentially investing up to £10m.
“But it’s about more than just money. It’s about giving supporters more of a voice at the club. That can only be a good thing.
“There’s no doubt Celtic has been fragmented over the last 12 months and many fans are unhappy with how the club is being run or the lack of transparency at the top. Haughey’s plan would give a sizeable portion of the fanbase a decent amount of shares – and that alone would at least get them a place at the table.
“That’s what a lot of supporters crave. They don’t want to be left in the dark, only being spoken to by an interim chairman and interim manager or reading the occasional flamethrower statements on the club’s website.”
Whether the Celtic Season Ticket Alliance gathers the momentum required remains to be seen. For the first time in a long while, he believes there is at least the outline of a constructive path forward for Celtic, driven by a supporter prepared to invest heavily in both the club’s future and its fanbase.
