This afternoon the Celtic Fans Collective issued the following summary of last night’s meeting at Celtic Park between the Collective, including all the Celtic supporters organisations and the Celtic Board…
Celtic Meeting, Summary, 6 October 2025 | Celtic Park
Yesterday evening, (6 October 2025), the Celtic Fans Collective met with Celtic Football Club to discuss the collective concerns of the Celtic support. The meeting was to seek answers to the questions addressed to the Celtic Board in the Open Letter of 3 September 2025 which amassed over 420 signatories, as well as to understand what lessons have been learned and what changes will be made to avoid similar mistakes being repeated.
Representing the Celtic Board at the meeting was Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer, and Chris McKay, Chief Financial Officer. Also in attendance from Celtic Football Club was John Paul Taylor, Supporter Liaison Officer; Kevin McQuillan, Head of Commercial Operations; George Campbell, Head of Legal and Governance; and Mark Hargreaves, Head of Safety, Security and Operations.
At the beginning of the meeting, a representative of the Collective clearly laid out the context which brought us to this point and set out the Collective’s expectations of the meeting. It was made clear that the Collective expected reasonable answers to the existing questions and some form of tangible action points moving forward.
The Collective acknowledged that while the positions of Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay are in our view untenable, there was no expectation of agreement or progress on that during the meeting and discussions would remain respectful and constructive.
The meeting was structured by working through the questions of the Open Letter, although there was some natural deviation. A recurring theme, through all answers and discussions, was a lack of humility, awareness and accountability. At various points, the Club deferred to communication and perception being the causes of concern rather than structure, performance or culture. The Club also repeatedly questioned or rejected the premise of questions.
The Club defended its footballing strategy although accepted it could be better communicated to fans. Overall, the Club believes the football strategy is working and pointed to participation in European competition as evidence of its success.
Similarly, the Club defended its transfer strategy citing different factors for transfer activity being difficult (for example tax laws in different European countries) while pointing to examples which they believe is evidence of the strategy working.
The Club said that transfer business involves a multi-disciplinary model and no part of that model has ultimate authority, however did cede that there are thresholds where the the Board of Directors must authorise increased transfer payments. When pressed on this point, the Club claimed emails would be sent to Board members for authorisation where necessary.
When pressed on accountability for failings, the Club rejected the premise of the question but referred to internal reviews and the experience of long-serving Non-Executive Directors. The Club provided little evidence of independent oversight and no belief that substantive change may be required.
The allegation of a senior Club official briefing against the Manager to The Sun was described as “closed” by Michael Nicholson. The Club was unwilling to divulge much information although claimed a conversation took place between the Board and the Manager. The Club suggested that the allegation was unsubstantiated and did not require further investigation.
In conclusion, the Collective expressed 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.
Full minutes of the meeting will be published as soon as possible.
The Celtic Fans Collective will continue to consult with members to plan next steps in our campaign for positive change at Celtic Football Club. It is our strong belief that yesterday’s meeting compounded the necessity and urgency of change.
Summary of Celtic Meeting (06/10/2025) pic.twitter.com/TeuClXdMJB
— Celtic Fans Collective (@CFC_Collective) October 7, 2025
Please add your own comments below and we’ll post the minutes as soon as they are available.
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Thanks for your efforts on behalf of all supporters with genuine concerns as to the manner in which the Club is being run by the current board. It’s unsurprising, but nonetheless disappointing, that you received the reported response. There’s a long road ahead!
This is exactly the reason why Supporters know that the Board consider themselves ABOVE the normal supporter .
No acceptance of any sort of blame or failure , by the Board was EVER EXPECTED !
They will continue to do exactly as they either wish or are TOLD TOO
Time to hit the board in the balance sheet.
Only language they understand.
Absolute nonsense from the board. They consider themselves above any form of criticism and are obviously determined to keep everything exactly as it is
This is not acceptable. We are fighting for the future of the club here.
The three amigos must go
Total farce. Although if I was on £800k plus a year I would be fighting to keep my job as well. Need to keep the pressure on these charlatans… Maybe start turning up to the golf events that DD prioritizes over the club and embarrass him there.
Pure unbridled arrogance so hard wired they don’t even realise how they come across. What can you expect from Harvard Business School graduates etc?To claim the transfer strategy is sound is laughable to all supporters and non partisan onlookers alike. They amass wealth, pay themselves huge bonuses and invest little in Celtic achieveving European credibility. They state that European participation is evidence of their sound judgement on transfers!!? That’s called gaslighting in today’s parlance. Nicholson in particular cones across as one arrogant little creep.
Absolute waste of time due to those arrogant trough-feeders. Silences are not getting us anywhere. They only harm the team. We need to do everything we can to back the team but get at ALL board members. Let them know, repeatedly, that we’re not going away until they work with us for change. Our approach has to be via other ideas, for example, there’s one idea above from ‘REDMOND’. The campaign for change has to be cranked up a gear or two.
And btw, see those transfer excuses they gave? Every other club in the football world never seem to experience difficulties when trying to sign the players they want. Our board are more than unfit for purpose, i believe them to be liars too. Arrogant trough-feeding liars.
Maybe now the customer collective will fk away any notions of ass kissing goodwill that made them look weak ,should never have caved and called off the boycott ,learn from the 5 way agreement shitshow , these knts don’t care what you know or think ,they’ll play lip service then shaft you
No more mealy mouthed statements ,no more caving in ,act like supporters not customers ,,,,,,,Humiliation /boycott europa tickets and bad PR are the only weapons left to the support
You want your club back and change
Stop being Fkn customers
It’s fairly obvious that the Board saw this meeting as an opportunity to reiterate its disdain for the supporters and their concerns. Like politicians, they forget that the people put them in their lofty positions to exercise good leadership on their behalf, not amass personal fortunes in wages and bonuses while humiliating the club at home and across the globe. And like todays political class, the little people are showing them more and more who the boss really is! Let the protests recommence with renewed vigour until the absentee landlord does the right thing and clears them out.
I meant to add that “The Collective” did exactly the right thing in meeting with the Board with a view to addressing fan concerns, etc. That the Board used the opportunity to reiterate its arrogance proves that these people are beyond reasoning with and must now be forced out for the good of the club. There needs to be a very strong message sent by most, if not all, fans that goes beyond banners and a few empty seats. It has to be a complete stay-away from all games despite the unfortunate knock-on this will have on the team, which is struggling anyway.
We know Brendan Rodgers will be off at the end of the season – who can blame him – so the message has to be delivered now if there is to be any substantial change in the Boardroom for next season. The only thing that hurts these suits is a withdrawal of financial support. When the money stops rolling in, DD will be off the golf course like a polaris missile to go make some sackings. Hopefully, Lawwell and Nicholson will be the first pair to see red.
Is anyone surprised that a board of tory’s look down on working class supporters. Liewwell as expected never turned up , he doesn’t like criticism of any form, why would he. He should never have been allowed to return , (did he really ever leave?) But did so on the back of Ange’s success, a cnt who’s made millions out of the club. Anyone of importance on the board was hand picked by the Irish tory , who would rather play golf than face any criticism .