Celtic's Dermot Desmond Faces Fan Fury at Golf Tournament

Dermot Desmond, Celtic's largest shareholder, became the focal point of a protest at the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews, where fans hurled tennis balls in his direction. The balls, featuring images of the 76-year-old with his face crossed out, landed on the green of the 15th hole, prompting security to escort him off the course. The Celtic Fans Collective issued a statement, accompanied by videos and photos of the incident. They declared, "Dermot Desmond has essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability. Fans took the chance today to send a message that this arrangement cannot continue." As the largest individual stakeholder in the Scottish Premiership side, Desmond has faced mounting criticism regarding the club's lack of European success and disappointing transfer dealings in recent seasons. Following Brendan Rodgers' departure at the start of last season, Desmond pointed fingers at the former manager for the troubles that plagued the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign. During Celtic's annual general meeting last November, which was disrupted by fan protests, Desmond's son, Ross, stepped in to read a statement on his father's behalf. He portrayed Desmond as a "lifelong and passionate" supporter of Celtic, asserting that the board would not be intimidated by what he termed "aggressive and irrational" criticism. Ross defended former chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson, calling attempts to "dehumanise and vilify them" disgraceful. Desmond also took aim at certain fans over an incident involving the Green Brigade ultras, labeling them as "bullies."