Celtic chairman calls to end civil war ahead of Hibs as boss says some fans need 'heads examined' amid protest

Celtic have called for an end to civil war breaking out at Parkhead after new protests from fans - as Martin O’Neill takes aim at defiant punters ahead of a clash with Hibs

David Gray takes his Easter Road side to the Premiership champions where all is far from well. They are third in the table and three points off leaders Hearts with a game in hand, with fans taking aim at the club’s board all season amid frustrations over several elements of how Celtic are run. That has resulted in moves like vocal Ultras group The Green Brigade being banned from matches while a new fan movement, The Celtic Fans Collective, have launched a campaign called ‘not another penny’ that is aimed to hit chiefs in the coffers.

At Thursday’s sobering 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off, a three-minute delay ensued after protesting fans threw balls onto the pitch. Interim chairman, Brian Wilson, has urged for scenes like this to be called off in future as Hibs prepare for Glasgow’s east-end.

Celtic on fan protests

Wilson said: “Last night was deeply disappointing for the Club in many respects. This started with an orchestrated disruption of the game, causing a delay to an important match. Over the past two weeks, I have met with a range of supporters groups and individual supporters.

“I have met in good faith with representatives of the Green Brigade and was hopeful that progress could have been made; indeed this remains the case. I also met in good faith with representatives of the Celtic Fans Collective. When I came into this role, I asked for unity inside the stadium to support the team while trying to resolve other issues. I want to see suspensions lifted and differences set aside, but this cannot be unconditional. Last night’s disruption and the reasoning behind it illustrate the difficulty we face and have repeatedly had to contend with.

“This is not intended to deflect from other issues that affect the club and are fully recognised. However, the possibility of further disruptions needs to be addressed urgently. Surely the priority must be to give Martin and our players every opportunity to achieve their objectives within the remainder of the season. On that basis, I will continue to seek an end to this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict.”

What Martin O’Neill said about Celtic protests

Speaking in his post-match presser, boss O’Neill had a scathing view on those who brought disruption to the start of proceedings. He said: “Anyone who think this is a good idea needs their heads examined. There’s no question about it. It sends out the totally wrong message.

“We’re playing against Stuttgart, the game is hard enough. Away back, some years ago, this was an incredibly intimidating place to come to. I’ve managed here when sides like Juventus were scared stiff of coming here. Top-class sides were scared stiff. This sort of thing does not help at all.

“There have been battles going on and I understand all sorts of things. But this doesn’t help. What it does do is Stuttgart, who are coming to this wonderful place, find out there’s all sorts of in-fighting going on. Things are being thrown onto the pitch. It doesn’t make any great sense to me.”