Time for Michael Nicholson to lift unjustifiable Green Brigade ban | OneFootball

Please have a read at the Green Brigade’s lengthy statement issued today the night after Celtic qualified for the Europa League play-off rounds where we will play VfB Stuttgart…

Celtic and Utrecht players shake hands before kick off. Celtic v Utrecht, UEFA Europa League, Group Stage, Celtic Park, 29 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

The travelling German supporters will fill their allocation at Celtic Park and will bring incredible noise and support for their team.

Last night as we predicted on The Celtic Star yesterday the FC Utrecht supporters would be heard loud and clear throughout the game which for them was a dead rubber occasion. Celtic though needed a win to qualify and even after racing into a 3-0 lead the atmosphere outside of a moderately good rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone ahead of kick-off, just never got going.

Celtic v Utrecht, UEFA Europa League, League Stage. Back row (L-R) Sebastian Tounekti, Auston Trusty, Arne Engels, Benjamin Nygren, Liam Scales, Kasper Schmeichel. Front row (L-R) Daizen Maeda, Yang Hyeon-Jun, Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, Colby Donovan Photo: Kenny Ramsay. IMAGO / News Licensing

Celtic are in a three-way title race and the two extra European matches are going to make the challenge ahead even harder. Hearts don’t even have a Scottish Cup games as just like in the Premier Sports Cup they went out early.

Celtic will play Stuttgart in ahead of our trip to Ibrox a few days later. Martin O’Neill will need all the backing that he can get from Michael Nicholson, the highly paid Celtic CEO and that means backing – at long last – in the January transfer window’s closing days. It also means getting the Celtic support firing on all cylinders and unfortunately as last night once again illustrated, that isn’t happening without the Green Brigade being there.

Chris McKay, Michael Nicholson and Brian Wilson – Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic, Scottish Cup 4th Round, Rugby Park. Sunday 18 January 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou ( The Celtic Star)

Reading through the Green Brigade’s statement it seems clear that the individuals who were charged with breach of the peace offences have been dealt with and have to sign in at police stations during every Celtic match.

Therefore the collective punishment that the club has additionally imposed on over 200 other supporters doesn’t stand up to scrutiny other than to say it’s both vindictive and petty minded from a Celtic CEO whit is clearly way out of his depth.

The Green Brigade can divide opinion but so can plenty of others within the Celtic support and within the club itself. We are currently third in the league and second favourites to beat Stuttgart and we have a Scottish Cup to win. That league position has got nothing to do with the Green Brigade and everything to do with the flawed decision making from Michael Nicholson.

Manager Celtic Wilfried Nancy of Celtic looks on after Celtic’s loss in the Premier League match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on December 30, 2025 in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

If Celtic lose the league it will be by less than 12 points and the supporters will all remember the dozen points spilled on Wilfried Nancy’s. The Frenchman was Nicholson’s first choice candidate and with that kind of decision making alone he has shown himself to be unfit to lead our club.

Nicholson’s legacy at Celtic will always be about failings in the transfer market, while hoarding tens of millions in the bank plus appointing the worst manager in our history and throwing away the league and the League Cup as a result. He can’t do anything about the Premier Sports Cup debacle but the league can still be won and European progress is NOT entirely unrealistic with Martin O’Neill – with a number of new signings – in charge.

Michael Nicholson and Brian Wilson. Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic, Scottish Cup 4th Round, Rugby Park. Sunday 18 January 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou ( The Celtic Star)

We were always going to write about the urgent need for the club to lift the self-defeating ban on the Green Brigade and being there last night and being a little embarrassed by the lack of a decent European atmosphere.  The statement from the Green Brigade only adds to the need for this to be resolved immediately.

Do yourself a favour Michael, lift the ban on the Green Brigade TODAY. Get them back for Sunday and by doing that the process of healing Celtic will begin. If you fail to act now then the supporter protests are only going to increase and if I was unfortunate enough to be a supporter of Hearts or theRangers I’d be very pleased about that.

The Green Brigade statement is shown below in full. Please read and share.

Green Brigade Update

Green Brigade Update

Green Brigade Update

Green Brigade Update

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