Celtic Fans Collective – Shoulder to Shoulder We’ll Stand | OneFootball

If Celtic’s AGM was already shaping up to be the most combustible in decades, events in the past 24 hours have turned unease into something closer to open crisis…

The Green Brigade are seen during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Livingston FC at Celtic Park on December 23, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

A club-sanctioned ban, a combative club statement, a furious response from the Celtic Trust, allegations of boardroom interference, and now — the day before the AGM itself — dawn raids on supporters’ homes.

The Celtic Fans Collective has now issued its most serious intervention yet. Their full statement is printed below, in full, exactly as it was released. What surrounds it is the context, a club-supporter relationship rupturing in real time, trust evaporating, and the spectre of a policing dynamic many hoped had been left behind with the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.

The Green Brigade are seen outside the stadium prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Livingston FC at Celtic Park Stadium on 23 December, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Collective’s words are worth reading carefully, because they do not simply respond to an internal disciplinary dispute. They allege something far more serious, that Celtic Football Club, in conjunction with Police Scotland, has allowed a narrative to develop that has now resulted in young supporters having their doors battered in at dawn for the charge of breach of the peace. Not assault. Not violence. Not the crimes repeated so confidently in club statements and briefings. Breach of the Peace.

This, the Collective warns, is a return to the darkest days of policing football in Scotland — and they place responsibility for the escalation squarely at Celtic’s door. Who issued the warrants for these dawn raids because they too have some explaining to do, this was not some major drugs bust, or any other serious crime – it was a Breach of the Peace. Perhaps the first time ever that this is happened in Scotland.

https://x.com/CFC_Collective/status/1991491734698881147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1991491734698881147%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

Here is the statement in full.

“The Celtic Fans Collective writes in response to recent correspondence between the Club and the Green Brigade, and in light of the forthcoming meeting of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG). We represent a number of supporter organisations, including the Green Brigade, and speak collectively and consistently in defence of fair treatment, due process, and constructive engagement between Celtic Football Club and its supporters.

Over recent weeks, we have watched with increasing concern as the Club has issued significant punitive measures against supporters without adequate dialogue, evidence-sharing, or any meaningful consultation. It is particularly troubling that allegations have been treated and communicated publicly as established fact, while those affected have not been invited to participate in any objective or transparent investigative process.

This approach stands in stark contrast to the Club’s handling of supporter-led concerns such as multiple attempts by fan groups to raise issues relating to stewarding and policing. In these matters, the Club has consistently taken months to respond or failed to respond at all. When supporters request accountability or clarification, the pace is slow and engagement inconsistent. When the Club moves to punish supporters, the action is immediate. The Collective is deeply concerned at the imbalance in this dynamic, and the harm it causes to trust, transparency and safety at Celtic Park.

We note that the Green Brigade has repeatedly sought dialogue regarding the events surrounding the match against Falkirk, the conduct of stewards and police, and wider safety concerns in the Standing Section. These attempts were met with silence until sanctions were issued. Dialogue should be the first step in any process, not the last.

We are also concerned by the Club’s suggestion that failure to comply with punitive measures imposed without due process may result in sanctions on uninvolved supporters. This is a divisive, unnecessary and damaging escalation, and it reinforces the perception that the Club is attempting to isolate and weaken supporter organisations rather than engage with them fairly. Such threats have no place in healthy supporter relations.

Regarding the Safety Advisory Group, we recognise that its deliberations will be influenced substantially by the information and tone provided by the Club. We are therefore disappointed that the Club has not supported the request for representation from the Celtic Fans Collective or from any supporter organisation at the meeting. Transparency requires that supporter voices be part of discussions which directly concern them and their safety, particularly given that the SAG framework explicitly allows its Chair to invite third-party participation. Participation should be encouraged, not obstructed.

Despite these concerns, the Collective remains committed to constructive dialogue and a de-escalatory path forward. We believe the following steps are necessary to restore trust and safeguard fair process:

The immediate reinstatement of dialogue between the Club and the Green Brigade, or their chosen representatives, regarding the current dispute.

A pause on all sanctions until supporters have been given an opportunity to present evidence and participate in a fair and transparent process.

Support from the Club for the attendance of a Celtic Fans Collective representative and/or legal representation at the SAG meeting or any meetings going forward, in line with the SAG’s own terms of reference.

A credible process for assessing supporter safety concerns, with guaranteed acknowledgement and follow-up, rather than silence.

The Collective speaks with unity and clarity on this matter: the relationship between Celtic Football Club and its supporters cannot be based on unilateral decisions, untested allegations, or selective engagement. It must be built on transparency, trust, fairness, and dialogue – principles that have, regrettably, not been reflected in recent actions.

We urge the Club to change course, engage meaningfully, and work with its supporters rather than against them.

We remain open – as we have always been – to constructive conversation and a positive resolution.

As we write this letter we have been informed that three supporters have been targeted by police at their homes this morning in dawn raids – a very unwelcome return to the dark days of the Offensive Behaviour Act when many football fans, including Celtic supporters, were arrested and charged only to have their charges dropped or to be found Not Guilty at subsequent and delayed trials. In what is a really shocking development, we are aware that the offenses for which their doors have (literally) been kicked in is Breach of the Peace – not assault or anything more serious. This together with the timing of this outrage leads us to believe there has been significant collusion between the Club and the police and is no more than a well-timed publicity stunt the day before the AGM and designed to cause division among Celtic supporters.

The Club are undoubtedly aware that no trial will take place otherwise they would not have jeopardised a fair trial with their unequivocal public statements that there was an ‘assault’ carried out by an identifiable group of people. On this basis we are absolutely certain that the charges against these young men will be dropped or will fail to stand up in court. Notwithstanding the behaviour of the Club and its officials, which we utterly condemn, we remain willing to engage as outlined above.

We would welcome an urgent response.”

Celtic supporters at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

It is difficult to overstate the seriousness of what the Collective is alleging here. Dawn raids are among the most extreme tactics in policing, justified only in cases of major drug raids, violence, weapons, or threats to life. Yet the charges communicated to the Collective — breach of the peace — are not only minor, they are among the least severe in Scottish criminal law.

If accurate, this would be an escalation that sits wildly at odds with the rhetoric being used publicly by both Celtic and Police Scotland, where terms like “violent”, “orchestrated”, “assault” and “threatening behaviour” have been used freely and repeatedly since 29 October.

Then comes the timing. These raids occurred the day before the AGM. It is impossible for any reasonable observer to separate these events entirely.

Celtic supporters on the road to Hampden. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

None of this means Celtic ordered the raids. It does, however, raise a legitimate question, have statements issued by the club — statements that declared allegations as settled fact — contributed to a policing response that now looks wildly disproportionate?

Another question follows, why has Celtic aggressively escalated its own rhetoric in the days leading up to an AGM where its leadership faces unprecedented scrutiny over governance, communication and strategic direction?

Supporters will draw their own conclusions. Some already have. Others, naturally cautious, want more information before forming a view. But one thing is clear, this is no longer a dispute with a single ultras group. It is now a question of whether Celtic Football Club engages with its supporters with honesty and fairness, or whether it is willing to sacrifice its relationship with them to preserve the status quo in the boardroom.

The Collective may not speak for everyone — but they now speak for more than enough supporters to matter, including all the major supporters associations, the CSA, AICSC and the Affiliation.

Celtic supporters at Tannadice. Dundee United v Celtic, 26 April 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Celtic cannot walk this back with a carefully worded line at the AGM. Trust has been fundamentally damaged, perhaps broken. Rebuilds require humility and dialogue, two things the club has shown little interest in offering in recent weeks.

But the fans are offering it. Even now. Even after dawn raids. Even after doors kicked in, devices seized, families left shaken, all for a charge that would not normally justify a trip to the local station, let alone armed entry.

“Dialogue should be the first step in any process, not the last.”

That line from the Collective may prove the most important of all. Because Celtic now face a choice, bury itself deeper into defensive rhetoric, or finally step back from the brink and speak to the people whose passion, money and loyalty make the entire club possible.

Time is running out for them to choose wisely.

Niall J

More Stories / Latest News

Celtic Fans Collective – Shoulder to Shoulder We’ll Stand

Nov 20 2025, 16:00

Dawn raids on homes of three young Celtic fans; doors kicked in

Nov 20 2025, 15:27

Celtic and the World Cup – Scotland in Switzerland 1954

Nov 20 2025, 14:18