Celtic shareholder Dermot Desmond hit by tennis-ball protest at Alfred Dunhill
October 3, 2026 18:50
Celtic's largest individual shareholder Dermot Desmond was the target of a fan protest at the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews when tennis balls bearing images of his face were thrown onto the green of the 15th hole during the pro-am. The 76-year-old was shown in images being escorted off the course by security. The Celtic Fans Collective released footage and pictures of the incident and a statement accompanying them.
FANS' MESSAGE
The Celtic Fans Collective said: "Dermot Desmond has essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability. Fans took the chance today to send a message that this arrangement cannot continue."
CONTEXT
Desmond is the club's largest individual shareholder and has faced criticism in recent seasons over Celtic's lack of progress in Europe and what has been described as underwhelming transfer business. In the wake of Brendan Rodgers' resignation at the beginning of last season, Desmond blamed the former manager for much of the problems that marred the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign.
At Celtic's annual general meeting last November, which had to be abandoned because of fan unrest, Desmond's son Ross read a statement on his father's behalf. Ross described his father as a "lifelong and passionate" Celtic supporter and said the board would not be "bullied by aggressive and irrational" criticism. The statement defended then chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson, saying attempts to "dehumanise and vilify them are shameful" and also criticised a section of fans over a recent incident that led to the Green Brigade ultras group being banned, adding: "Those people are bullies."