Ian Bankier defends his Celtic record as outgoing chairman insists remit was 'misunderstood'

Outgoing Celtic chairman Ian Bankier has insisted the club achieved "almost all of its objectives" under his watch as he prepares to step down after almost 12 years in the role.

The 70-year-old will retire at the end of the calender year, officially stepping aside on January 1, 2023, having first become a director at Celtic Park in June 2021 before being appointed chairman later that year. Bankier took part in his final Celtic AGM on Friday and in a video released on Celtic's official Youtube channel, he claimed his remit has been "widely misunderstood" over his time at the helm.

“It’s been an extraordinary passage of my life; life-changing, probably," he said. “Over the period of my career, I’ve been in a lot of big situations, but I don’t think I’ve been in anything quite like football and Celtic. it demands a lot, the role of the chair is widely misunderstood, my job is to stay away and stay out of the football pages.

"People don’t see anything of what I do, but what I do I have done to the very best of my ability, I’ve been a team player, I’ve worked for the club and the executives.”

Outgoing Celtic chairman Ian Bankier attends his final AGM before stepping down at the end of the calendar year. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Bankier has faced some criticism from sections of the Celtic support across his reign - most notably during the failed 10-in-a-row season, but he pointed to the club's record of success over the past decade in his defence.

He continued: “Although it’s very hybrid and it’s very different, the fundamentals of it remain the same, you’ve got to have realistic ambition, and you’ve got to have a plan to achieve that ambition and you’ve got to stick to that plan. I think the record shows that’s what the club has done over the last twelve years. It’s had a plan, it’s stuck to it, and it’s achieved almost all of its objectives.”

The chairman also had a parting message for supporters, adding: “I guess that the last, last word from me is to recognise the supporters. “I’ve personally never encountered anything like their passion for Celtic and for everything we’re trying to do and I really wish the club and the supporters the very best going forward.”