Dermot Desmond, the majority shareholder of Celtic Football Club, faced a public protest at the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews this weekend. The 76-year-old had to be removed from the 15th green by security personnel after activists threw tennis balls onto the course. These items featured images of Desmond’s face crossed out, highlighting growing tensions between the businessman and certain segments of the club’s support. With images showing Desmond having to be escorted off the course by security, tennis balls with pictures of the 76-year-old’s face scored out were thrown on to the green of the 15th hole of the pro-am competition.
The Celtic Fans Collective issued a statement following the incident, accompanied by visual documentation of the disruption. Their message alleged that Desmond has effectively managed Celtic while leveraging his substantial wealth to avoid direct engagement with supporters or meaningful accountability. They asserted that the protest served as a clear signal that the current management arrangement is no longer sustainable.
Desmond has long been a polarizing figure among the club’s fanbase. While he remains the primary individual shareholder of the Scottish Premiership side, he has faced mounting criticism regarding the club’s perceived lack of European progress and concerns over recruitment strategies. The relationship between the board and fans has been strained for some time, notably during the fallout from Brendan Rodgers’ departure at the start of the previous season, when Desmond publicly held the former manager responsible for early campaign difficulties.
The friction between the ownership and fans reached a boiling point last November during the club’s annual general meeting. The event had to be officially abandoned due to widespread fan unrest. During that meeting, Desmond’s son, Ross, delivered a statement on his father’s behalf, describing him as a lifelong and passionate supporter of the team. The address included a firm vow that the board would not be coerced by criticism characterized as aggressive or irrational.
In that same statement, the Irish businessman defended key leadership figures, specifically former chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson, labeling attempts to vilify them as shameful. Desmond also took a hardline stance against segments of the support, particularly following a dispute that resulted in a ban for the Green Brigade ultras group, ultimately describing those protesters as bullies.
