Celtic chief launches tennis ball protest return as details of Green Brigade and fan talks revealed

Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has told mutinous supporters that their priority should be supporting the team in title race rather than disrupting matches with protests.

Sections of the Celtic fanbase threw multi-coloured tennis balls on to the pitch at the start of Thursday night’s Europa League match against VfB Stuttgart, disrupting the match by several minutes. The hosts went on to lose 4-1 and manager Martin O’Neill said those involved “need their head examined” and urged for backing as the defending Premiership champions attempt to reclaim their crown.

Many Celtic supporters are angry at the club’s hierarchy and have called for change in board room. Wilson, who replaced Peter Lawwell as chair at the start of the year, has met with fan groups over the past fortnight and is keen to build bridges, but said events such as Thursday night highlight the task at hand. He urged for it not to be repeated when Hibs visit on Sunday.

Brian Wilson has hit out at the actions of some Celtic supporters. | SNS Group

In a club statement, Wilson said: “Last night was deeply disappointing for the club in many respects. This started with an orchestrated disruption of the game, causing a delay to an important match.

“Over the past two weeks, I have met with a range of supporters groups and individual supporters. I have met in good faith with representatives of the Green Brigade and was hopeful that progress could have been made; indeed this remains the case. I also met in good faith with representatives of the Celtic Fans Collective.

“When I came into this role, I asked for unity inside the stadium to support the team while trying to resolve other issues. I want to see suspensions lifted and differences set aside, but this cannot be unconditional. Last night’s disruption and the reasoning behind it illustrate the difficulty we face and have repeatedly had to contend with.

“This is not intended to deflect from other issues that affect the club and are fully recognised. However, the possibility of further disruptions needs to be addressed urgently. Surely the priority must be to give Martin and our players every opportunity to achieve their objectives within the remainder of the season.

“On that basis, I will continue to seek an end to this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict.”