Celtic chair urges end to ‘debilitating’ conflict with fans

Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has vowed to seek an end to “this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict” after a fan protest during Thursday’s Europa League game left the Scottish champions fearing disciplinary action.

Uefa’s disciplinary body will review reports from officials at the game against Stuttgart before deciding what, if any, action will be taken after it was held up for more than three minutes when tennis balls were thrown on to the Celtic Park pitch.

It is the latest in a long line of protests this season as fans expressed disappointment at the club’s board.

“Last night was deeply disappointing for the club in many respects,” Wilson said. “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.”

Wilson had taken over as interim chairman after former chief executive Peter Lawwell stood down in December citing “abuse and threats”.

Relations appeared to be thawing in January when the Celtic Fans Collective praised Wilson’s appeal for unity and appealed for common ground while again calling for changes to the club’s hierarchy.

The latest tennis ball protest led to criticism from team boss O’Neill.

“Last night’s disruption and the reasoning behind it illustrate the difficulty we face and have repeatedly had to contend with,” Wilson added.

“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.