CELTIC Chief Executive Peter Lawwell has released the following message to the Celtic Support on the official Celtic site regarding the coronavirus crisis and how it affects the club. Firstly let’s have a look at what the  message says, then we’ll consider it in detail…

Message from Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell

I know you will be very aware of the continuing developments in respect of the COVID-19 crisis. Clearly for some time now, the Club has been monitoring the situation closely and, of course, its potential impact on our supporters, our colleagues and our organisation.

We continue to do this, and through daily executive management briefings we are doing all we can to play our part in tackling the spread of this virus.

This is a worrying time for us all. In such a difficult situation for everyone concerned, above all, the health and well-being of people is of paramount importance. I would like to thank all our staff for their ongoing commitment and professionalism in very challenging circumstances, and I thank our fans for their understanding and tremendous ongoing support and engagement.

We all continue to navigate our way through these unprecedented times with continued teamwork and support for each other. We urge all our colleagues and supporters to do all they can to stay safe at this time.

With regard to the present domestic Premiership League situation, our strong preference is, of course, to complete all remaining matches. To date, we have had a magnificent campaign, undefeated in this calendar year, completing 30 league matches already to create a commanding lead and we are now on the cusp of winning our ninth successive title.

As many have already said, the season cannot be voided as the consequences of that are so severe. In the event that the matches cannot be completed, then the responsibility to find a fair and reasonable solution for the finalisation of all domestic leagues will be with the Scottish football governing bodies.

We hope that the governing bodies are able to provide some clarity to clubs and supporters as soon as possible on the way forward, although we appreciate that this is a hugely demanding time.

During such a difficult period, we also extend our thoughts to all other football clubs who are affected by these events and facing such uncertainty. We realise the hugely damaging effect these circumstances will have on clubs of all sizes across Scotland, Europe and beyond.

The health of everyone in football and society is always the priority, but we hope clubs find a way through these testing times and ensure that the game we all love can thrive again as soon as possible.

Everyone at Celtic Football Club and Celtic FC Foundation is aware of how Coronavirus is impacting on our communities. We are pleased to announce today that we are putting resources in place with the aim of helping the most vulnerable in our society during this period and we will make an announcement shortly with regards to these plans. Our aim is to do as much as we possibly can to help those in need.

We know Celtic supporters are famous for their spirit of solidarity and togetherness. We understand that this is a hugely difficult situation for everyone across the globe, but by working together we know we can overcome these challenges.

While this is a situation which is developing constantly, we will continue to keep our supporters updated as much as we possibly can. We thank you for your continued support, we wish you and your families well and we look forward to you being back with us as soon as possible.

With sincere best wishes from everyone at Celtic Football Club.

Peter Lawwell
Chief Executive