Celtic AGM cancelled as board statement shared amid ‘extraordinary’ development at Parkhead
Celtic have cancelled their AGM on Friday after members of the board were heckled during the meeting.
The Bhoys currently sit second in the Premiership table, but frustrations have been mounting off the pitch for several weeks, with supporters aiming their complaints towards the club hierarchy.
Martin O’Neill remains in interim charge of the team for Saturday’s trip to take on St Mirren, but a deal is close to appoint the permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers.
Football Insider revealed that Celtic are yet to agree a compensation package for Wilfried Nancy on Friday, with that serving as the major stumbling block to an appointment at present.
The Columbus Crew boss is the firm favourite to take the reins at Parkhead in the coming weeks, but he will have been left staggered by the events that have just taken place.
Celtic fans heckle board members during AGM meeting
Celtic’s situation has become shrouded in uncertainty since Rodgers’ departure, and their struggles on the pitch have been taken out on the club hierarchy.
The fanbase has been growing increasingly frustrated with the powerful figures at the top of the club, and that appears to have reached a boiling point on Friday.
Shareholders who are present at the club’s AGM meeting jeered the board’s arrival, and showed red cards in their direction, according to the Scottish Sun’s live blog of the event.
The meeting was subsequently adjourned for 30 minutes by chairman Peter Lawwell, after chants of “sack the board” broke out during a video presentation.
The scenes at Parkhead have been described as “quite extraordinary” by the Scottish Sun, and their latest update has revealed the meeting has been abandoned after fans ridiculed a statement from Dermot Desmond’s son Ross.
Desmond’s statement contained the following suggestions: “Our board led by Peter (Lawwell) and our executive, led by Michael (Nicholson) are dedicated Celtic people.
“The attempts to dehumanise them and villify them are shameful.”
Wilfried Nancy has to hit the ground running if he is appointed
Nancy is expected to become the new Celtic boss in the coming days, but there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding his lack of managerial experience in European football.
The 48-year-old has only ever held senior managerial roles in the MLS, which is fundamentally different to the European leagues in many of its major rulings.
Nancy was named as the MLS’s coach of the year for 2024, but the Frenchman will simply have to show that the skills he has honed during his time stateside can be easily transferred into the British game.
If he fails to do that, and the team make a sticky start under his guidance, then the pressure will only continue to mount on him and the board.