The Celtic board have delivered a resounding show of support for Ross Desmond.
A year ago Dermot’s son delivered an incredible message to shareholders at the Celtic AGM.
It came after Peter Lawwell adjourned the meeting for 30 minutes before a video presentation about how wonderful everything is at Celtic.
Basically before the main business of the meeting got underway Ross was invited to read out a letter from his Dad for shareholders.
Presumably Chairman Lawwell knew the contents of the letter which was effectively an all out attack on anti-establishment fans.
Only Lawwell will know why he decided to allow Ross to use the AGM for that form of attack.
The club website, Celtic TV or social media platforms could have delivered the message to a bigger direct audience.
Four weeks before the AGM Dermot Desmond had used the club website to deliver a full character assassination of Brendan Rodgers.
As a side-note Chairman Wilson and CEO Nicholson are both still claiming that the departure of Rodgers came as a shock.
CELTIC DOUBLE DOWN WITH DESMOND BACKING
Clearly they haven’t taken in the detail of Desmond’s 27 October statement.
Responding to a Resolution from the Celtic Trust the Board stated
The Board rejects both the premise of this resolution and the misleading and inaccurate account of events presented in its supporting statement.
Ross Desmond attended the 2025 AGM as the representative of the Company’s largest shareholder, Dermot Desmond, as he has done on numerous previous occasions.
His entitlement to attend and address the meeting was entirely legitimate and consistent with established corporate practice. The suggestion that his participation constituted an abuse of the AGM is without merit.
Equally, the allegation that Ross Desmond delivered an indiscriminate attack on Celtic supporters and shareholders is a gross misrepresentation of his remarks.
His speech was a robust defence of Celtic Football Club, its long-term stewardship and the dedication of those responsible for its management.
It acknowledged mistakes and the need for continued improvement, while expressly praising the overwhelming majority of Celtic supporters for their passion, loyalty and commitment.
His criticism was directed at the conduct of a small minority whose behaviour, including personal abuse, intimidation and the deliberate fostering of hostility and division, he considered damaging to the Club.
To characterise that criticism as an attack on Celtic supporters generally is demonstrably false.
The Board also categorically rejects the entirely baseless and serious insinuation that Ross Desmond and the then Chairman conspired to orchestrate the premature closure of the AGM.
No such arrangement existed. Indeed, the meeting had already been disrupted and adjourned before Ross Desmond addressed shareholders.
The AGM was ultimately brought to a conclusion because further disruption made its orderly continuation impossible.
The Board fully respects the right of shareholders and supporters to express criticism and challenge the Club’s leadership, however robustly.
But the right to express disagreement does not confer the right to intimidate others, prevent them from being heard or obstruct the proper conduct of a shareholders’ meeting.
The Board regrets that shareholders were denied the opportunity to participate fully in the Q&A due to the disruption caused at the 2025 AGM.
However, the Board will not apologise for permitting a duly authorised representative of a shareholder to address the meeting, nor will it accept the false characterisation of his remarks or the circumstances surrounding the meeting’s conclusion.
The Board rejects this resolution in its entirety and strongly recommends that shareholders vote against it.
The Trust wouldn’t have expected the Board to back their Resolution.
By getting their Resolution approved they will be able to address the meeting to explain their stance, signed by over 100 shareholders.
After lecturing to the shareholders last season it should be role reversal for Ross Desmond on December 1 at the AGM.
Prior to the AGM there will be a General Meeting to give the Board authority to stage the AGM online.
Should be turn up for the AGM he will have to sit through a very passionate explanation of the Resolution, calling out his claims on supporters and explaining the lowering of Celtic in European terms while far smaller clubs thrive in the Champions League.
NOTE: The Ross Desmond speech has never been mentioned on the Celtic website.
Lost amid Ross Desmond’s attack on Celtic supporters at November’s AGM was a series of commitments he made on behalf of his father. Shareholders were told the Club would improve recruitment, invest in analytics and upgrade the stadium and facilities. https://t.co/vIRXkQHn9M
— Celtic Fans Collective (@CFC_Collective) June 18, 2026
