Celtic Trust bids to force apology for Ross Desmond ‘tirade’ at club AGM

The supporters’ group is looking for backing among shareholders for three resolutions at the club’s next annual general meeting, which is expected to take place later this year.

The group also wants the board to commit to undertaking strategic and security reviews.

The Celtic Trust owns about a 0.2 per cent stake in the club, with its shareholding worth about £350,000.

The group has called for Celtic chairman Brian Wilson to make a “full and unreserved apology to shareholders and supporters” for giving Desmond the chance to hit out at critics on behalf of his father, principal shareholder Dermot Desmond, at last year’s AGM.

A statement read: “As we understand it, he was attending the AGM as a proxy for a relative of his and was, as we all are, entitled to speak at the appropriate time and in the appropriate part of the hall.

“However, from his unwarranted and elevated position, Mr Desmond delivered a tirade against the support which was so egregiously insulting and offensive that the response of shareholders was clearly audible in the hall.”

Ross Desmond hit out at “destructive and cynical” criticism of Celtic executives and accused some fans of being “bullies”, before then-chairman Peter Lawwell abandoned the meeting amid shouts from the floor.

The Celtic Trust statement added: “This was a complete abuse of the AGM process, should never have been allowed to happen, and should never be allowed to happen again.

“In a period of lows, this was amongst the lowest the Celtic PLC board have ever stooped and each and every one of them should be ashamed of themselves. We call on them to apologise so that we can put this shameful event behind us and move on.”

The Trust also called for the publication of a strategic plan, “not a wish list”, including stadium redevelopment proposals, and a review of security operations in co-operation with elected supporter representatives.

This proposed resolution claimed that security measures had been stepped up since the appointment of Mark Hargreaves, a former Police Scotland chief superintendent, as head of safety, security and operations.

A statement added: “This all feeds into the central concern: that Celtic has placed too much faith in a policing-led model of supporter management, and in doing so has created a security culture focused on surveillance, restriction and control rather than protection, engagement and trust.”

The publication of the proposed resolutions came amid a further deterioration in relations between Dermot Desmond and a section of fans.

A Celtic statement on Saturday claimed some supporters had “brought shame upon the name” of the club after they threw tennis balls towards the 76-year-old Irishman as he played alongside five-time major winner Brooks Koepka in the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament at St Andrews.