Celtic supporter groups refuse to meet club over policing concerns amid campaign to remove board
As a firm stand, fans turn down the invitation to meet the directors.
Despite their continuous attempts to remove a number of important board members, Celtic fan organizations have refused to engage with the club due to policing concerns.
A new umbrella organization called the Celtic Fans Collective said that a number of fan organizations had turned down the club’s offer to talk about the results of an investigation that looked into issues with the police of their most recent home match against Rangers.
Fairhurst, sporting event safety management specialists, was hired by Celtic to conduct an impartial assessment of the proceedings preceding the William Hill Premiership match on March 16.
In order to control crowds of supporters prior to the game, police obtained stop-and-search authority under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994.
Later, they stated that 90 people had been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for failing to follow the order. To gain entrance to the ground, fans were requested to submit their names and addresses.
The Affiliation of Registered Celtic Supporters Clubs, Bhoys Celtic, the Celtic Supporters Association, and the Green Brigade were among the organizations called to a discussion with the club regarding game policing, according to the Celtic Fans Collective.
“The club is finally set to release the findings of the independent investigation by Fairhurst after months of delay,” the statement continued.
Together with the Celtic Fans Collective, the fan organizations have decided to turn down this invitation.
“Under the current leadership, we are not confident in meeting with Celtic FC until they indicate that they intend to address all of the issues brought up in the open letter and start interacting positively with the wider support.”
On Saturday, the Celtic Fans Collective came out to continue the supporters’ efforts to oust chairman Peter Lawwell, CEO Michael Nicholson, and CFO Chris McKay in order to get clarification on the club’s transfer policy and to try to get a new club vision.
In a previous open letter, several fan organizations demanded answers about the club’s transfer policy and other matters.
These concerns included the match day experience and fan interaction, the release of the findings from a survey of supporters, the Fairhurst investigation’s publication, and the club’s reaction to the policing methods.
The campaign has included a late entry protest at the recent league game at Kilmarnock and thousands of fans held up posters calling for the removal of the three directors before Sunday’s cup tie with Partick Thistle
