The Celtic Fans Collective (CFC) released a statement detailing the Celtic board’s meeting with supporter organisations last night.
The CFC posted an account of the meeting on its social media platforms, which was attended by several members of the club’s management, including Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay.
The statement stated in full: “Yesterday evening, 06/10/2025, the Celtic Fans Collective met with Celtic Football Club to discuss the collective concerns of the Celtic supporters. The meeting was held to seek answers to the questions posed to the Celtic Board in the Open Letter of 03/09/2025, which received over 420 signatures, as well as to determine what lessons have been learnt and what improvements will be implemented to avoid such blunders in the future.
“The Celtic Board was represented at the meeting by CEO Michael Nicholson and CFO Chris McKay. Celtic Football Club representatives present included John Paul Taylor, Supporter Liaison Officer; Kevin McQuillan, Head of Commercial Operations; George Campbell, Head of Legal and Governance; and Mark Hargreaves, Head of Safety, Security, and Operations.
“At the start of the meeting, a representative of the Collective clearly spelled out the context that led us to this point and the Collective’s expectations for the discussion. It was made plain that the Collective anticipated fair solutions to existing questions as well as specific action items for the future. The Collective stated that, while Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay’s stances are untenable in our opinion, there was no expectation of agreement or progress during the meeting, and that talks would be respectful and constructive.
“The conference was framed around working through the Open Letter’s questions, with some inevitable deviations. A common issue in all responses and debates was a lack of humility, awareness, and accountability. At various moments, the Club cited communication and perception as issues of worry rather than structure, performance, or culture. The Club also frequently questioned or rejected the premise of the enquiries.
“The club defended their football approach, acknowledging that it should be better communicated to fans. Overall, the Club believes its football strategy is effective, citing participation in European competition as evidence of its success.
“Similarly, the Club defended its transfer strategy, citing several circumstances that make transfer activity difficult (for example, tax rules in different European nations), while pointing to cases that they believe demonstrate the approach’s effectiveness.
“The Club stated that transfer business involves a multi-disciplinary paradigm and that no component of that model has ultimate authority, but conceded that there are criteria at which the Board of Directors must approve additional transfer payments. When questioned on this point, the Club stated that emails will be submitted to Board members for approval if necessary.
“When pressed on accountability for failings, the Club rejected the premise of the question, instead citing internal reviews and the experience of long-serving Non-Executive Directors.” The Club gave scant evidence of independent control and expressed little belief that significant change was required.
Michael Nicholson dismissed the claim that a top Club official briefed The Sun on the Manager as “closed.” The Club refused to reveal much information, although claiming that a conversation occurred between the Board and the Manager. The Club suggested that the accusation was baseless and did not warrant further inquiry.
“In conclusion, the Collective was disappointed that the Club refused to engage effectively on issues of leadership, governance, and accountability.
“The meeting yielded no tangible results, and many participants left with the impression that the Club’s leadership is disconnected from its supporters’ concerns and unwilling to confront the need for change.”
“The full minutes of the meeting will be published as soon as possible.”
“The Celtic Fans Collective will continue to communicate with members to determine the next steps in our fight for good change at Celtic Football Club. It is our firm view that yesterday’s meeting increased the importance and urgency of change.”
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