Celtic: Dermot Desmond targeted by fan protest at Alfred Dunhill

Dermot Desmond, the largest shareholder in Celtic Football Club, became the focus of a protest during the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament at St Andrews. During the pro-am event, tennis balls featuring images of the 76-year-old with his face crossed out were thrown onto the green of the 15th hole. Video footage captured the moment when Desmond was escorted off the course by security personnel.

Following the incident, the Celtic Fans Collective issued a statement accompanied by photos and video evidence of the protest. They expressed their dissatisfaction with Desmond’s management, stating that he had been allowed to run the club largely unchallenged, using his financial resources to avoid engagement with supporters. The group emphasized that fans wanted to communicate that the current situation was unacceptable and must change.

Desmond, who holds the largest individual shareholding in the Scottish Premiership club, has faced criticism in recent years over Celtic’s lack of advancement in European competitions and disappointing transfer dealings. After Brendan Rodgers stepped down early in the 2025-26 season, Desmond publicly attributed much of the club’s struggles during that time to the former manager.

At Celtic’s annual general meeting last November, which was disrupted and eventually abandoned due to fan protests, Desmond’s son Ross read a statement on his father’s behalf. The statement described Dermot Desmond as a “lifelong and passionate” supporter and pledged that the board would not be “bullied by aggressive and irrational” criticism. It also defended then-chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson, condemning efforts to “dehumanise and vilify them” as disgraceful. Additionally, Desmond criticized a segment of supporters connected to the Green Brigade ultras group, who had recently been banned, calling those individuals “bullies.”

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More