Celtic's Spineless Response to Rangers thuggery as Board Stays Quiet on Player & Backroom staff assaults
Celtic's board catastrophically fails to swiftly condemn the vicious attacks on our backroom staff and players by Rangers thugs at Ibrox, dithering for days before issuing a feeble statement.
Celtic’s board, fronted by interim chairman Brian Wilson, has once again demonstrated a profound disconnect from the club’s players, staff, and fans following the shameful violence at Ibrox after our Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty shootout victory over Rangers on Sunday.
Brian Wilson’s public comments in an interview with Celtic TV on Thursday night, fail entirely to address the direct assault on a Celtic backroom staff member or the targeting of players like Tomas Cvancara and Julian Araujo, who was shoved and kicked by Rangers supporters. Instead, Wilson focused on internal fan protests, such as the Green Brigade disruptions in Europa League matches, labelling them “deeply disappointing” and urging an end to “debilitating conflict” with supporters. This omission in dissecting post-Ibrox footage or commentary leaves players and staff exposed without clear public support from the board, prioritising club optics over on-pitch safety.
Celtic’s statement came out after Rangers issued theirs on Thursday night, condemning the “unacceptable disorder” at Ibrox - four days post-match, following police criticism of both clubs for silence. Police Scotland described “extreme hostility and violence,” with officers and civilians injured by armed fans during the pitch invasion sparked by Rangers supporters charging towards celebrating Celtic supporters in the Broomloan Stand. A proactive Celtic condemnation could have seized the high ground, highlighting Rangers fans’ aggression rather than reacting hastily once rivals spoke, underscoring a pattern of hesitancy that alienates the fanbase.
This episode exemplifies how Wilson and the board remain detached from the fan base by refusing to publicly defend their supporters and the club against thuggery - all evident in Wilson’s disengaged demeanour during prior supporter discussions. Fans faced missiles, flares, bottles, coins, and assaults without the board backing them, further eroding what little trust remained in a leadership unfit to run the day to day operations of the football club as well as stand up and be counted when the club is being dragged through the mud because of the violent actions of rival supporters. True stewardship demands swift, unapologetic protection of players, staff, and supporters, not damage control trailing the perpetrators of the violent scenes we witnessed on Sunday afternoon.
They may support an independent review into what happened on the day, but Celtic’s board have once again let the fans down, the players down, the management & back room staff down, and they are the true stain within Celtic Football Club.
I think the Celtic Board are keeping their powder dry, until the independent enquiry.