Celtic’s second-biggest investor’s intriguing decease decision

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The Celtic Star

·16. Oktober 2025

Celtic’s second-biggest investor’s intriguing decease decision

Celtic’s second-biggest investor, Lindsell Train Limited, this week decreased its stake in the club…

Celtic Park ahead of the match between Celtic and Motherwell on 26th December 2024. Picture by Mark Runnacles Shutterstock

According to the official notification of major holdings, the investment firm has cut its stake in the club by 0.69 percent. This reduction amounts to 750,000 shares, with the firm also holding the position of third-largest shareholder in Serie A giants Juventus, behind the Agnelli family and crypto company Tether.

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The disclosure was issued on Tuesday, 14 October, referencing the threshold that was surpassed a week earlier. It means that Lindsell Train’s overall voting stake in Celtic PLC has fallen to 15.70 percent, equating to 16,902,971 votes.

Celtic v RB Leipzig – UEFA Champions League – League Stage – Celtic Park Dermot Desmond in the stands ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Celtic Park, on Tuesday November 5, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

This marks a drop from the Lindsell Train’s previous notification figure of 16.39 percent. Dermot Desmond continues to remain as principal shareholder of Celtic, having effectively taken control in 1999 after purchasing Fergus McCann’s remaining shares.

Fergus McCann Glasgow Celtic Chief Executive 21 August 1995: Photo Mary Evans Allstar Graham Whitby Boot

Organisations like The Celtic Trust have voiced concern over the growing role of financial firms in Celtic’s ownership, especially those lacking any genuine emotional or sporting ties to the club.

In 2021, David Low, who was chair of The Celtic Trust at the time, addressed worries about the club’s ownership balance, noting the potential issues of two major shareholders controlling most of the influence when asked about Fergus McCann’s thoughts on the matter.

David Low. Photo social media

“I know he has concerns of a hostile takeover, the fact that Celtic’s share ownership profile is being controlled by two shareholders,” Low said.

“Dermot who I spoke about earlier and an investment company called Lindsell Train. Lindsell Train are professional investors, they have no emotional investment in Celtic, their investment in Celtic is designed to make money for their unitholders.

“So they’ve bought Celtic shares because they expect to make money and if this price was right, they’d sell their shares. That’s a concern that control is vested amongst two shareholders.”

Low added: “Obviously Dermot is an emotional investor because Celtic shares haven’t been a good investment, let’s be clear about that. Most of the shareholders are Celtic supporters, most of the shareholders haven’t bought shares to make money.

“Most of the shareholders including the Celtic Trust have bought shares to own a part of Celtic, because they want to have a say in the running of Celtic, that’s why you buy shares. As it happens the shares have performed incredibly poorly since Fergus McCann left, they lost 60% of their value. So it’s not exactly a good investment from a stock exchange perspective.

“It does make you wonder why Lindsell Train have bought 18% of Celtic in the last few years,” Low continued. “The reason for that has been in the news this week – jurisdictional change. I think an investor like Lindsell Train own shares in Celtic because they’re betting or gambling for want of a better phrase on Celtic ending up in a different jurisdiction than this little backwater in Scotland.

“If that were to happen, if Celtic were to get into a more financially lucrative jurisdiction like a British League or an Atlantic League or even a Super League, the revenue profile would change dramatically and the shares would for example, quadruple.”

Celtic Park ahead of the match between Celtic and Motherwell on 26th December 2024. Picture by Mark Runnacles Shutterstock

Although Lindsell Train’s investment has frequently been viewed as an endorsement of Celtic’s commercial strength, its gradual decline of shares – however small – could prompt fans to wonder about the company’s future commitment to the club.

Celtic Fans Collective, Founded September 2025.

Further developments on the matter are expected in the days ahead, especially tonight at the next meeting among the Celtic Fans Collective group and the response will be interesting, particularly given the current climate of fan dissatisfaction, boycotts, and demonstrations against the board.

Conor Spence

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Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star

Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books