Green Brigade to Boycott Celtic Cup and European Home Matches
The Green Brigade ultras group will boycott Celtic's Scottish Cup games and home European ties, citing a growing disconnect with the board and criticising the club's response to a protest against major shareholder Dermot Desmond.
The Green Brigade has announced it will boycott Celtic's Scottish Cup matches and home European ties, intensifying a dispute between the ultras group and the club's board. In a statement, the group said the divide between Celtic's leadership and its supporters has never been wider, pointing to the influence of largest shareholder Dermot Desmond.
The boycott follows a protest targeting Desmond at the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews. Celtic responded by threatening an indefinite ban on anyone found to have planned, facilitated or taken part in the incident, and said it will no longer recognise the Celtic Fans Collective as a representative body. The collective is a coalition of supporter groups that includes the Green Brigade.
The Green Brigade said its members were not involved in the St Andrews action but praised those responsible. The protest involved throwing tennis balls. The group called the club's latest statement irrational and described it as another attack on supporters, saying it shows disdain for the group.
The dispute has widened beyond the initial protest, with the club's decision to derecognise the Celtic Fans Collective adding to tensions. The Green Brigade's boycott targets two specific areas: Scottish Cup fixtures and home European matches, though the statement did not specify how long the action would last.
Supporters' views on the matter appear divided. Some fans have expressed sympathy for the Green Brigade's stance, while others argue that protests and boycotts risk harming the team. The club has not commented further beyond its earlier warning about bans.
Image: SNS / BBC Sport
