'I don't need this' - Celtic chief RESIGNS over 'abuse and threats'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 17 Dec 2025 16:40 GMT
• 5 min read

Breaking

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has left the club after 21 years due to the "abuse and threats" he has received from his "detractors."

The Parkhead club have been in turmoil all season, and things have once again come to a head. In the summer, Celtic's bosses were heavily criticised by supporters for failing to strengthen the team and replace outgoing talent adequately.

The fans clearly had a point as Celtic crashed out of the Champions League against Kazakh club Kairat Almaty in embarrassing fashion. They also began the season well off the pace domestically.

Manager Brendan Rodgers resigned in October after a 3-1 loss to Premiership leaders Hearts, after which he was slammed by majority shareholder Dermot Desmond in an astonishing statement, giving a rare insight into the tension behind the scenes at Celtic Park.

The appointment of Wilfried Nancy as new manager dragged on for weeks. In the meantime, 73-year-old interim coach Martin O'Neill managed to stabilise results, but performances have now again taken a turn for the worse.

Lawwell resigns as chairman

Nancy has lost all three of his games in charge, including Sunday's League Cup final against St. Mirren, leading to a monumental fallout in the green and white half of Glasgow.

All season, club directors have been on the receiving end of fan protests and abuse for their mismanagement of Celtic. Non-executive chairman Peter Lawwell has now had enough and quit his role.

Celtic have announced that the 66-year-old has decided to stand down after three years as non-executive chairman and a total of 21 years at the club across two stints. The Hoops' announcement is accompanied by a scathing statement from Lawwell.

“It is with sadness that I announce my decision to stand down as Chairman of Celtic FC," he is quoted as saying. "I believe that my 18 years as Chief Executive and three years as Chairman at the Club have shown my ability to meet and overcome challenges on many fronts, but abuse and threats from some sources have increased and are now intolerable.

"They have dismayed and alarmed my family. At this stage in my life, I don’t need this. I cannot accept this and so I leave the Club I have loved all my life. The motivations and aims of these detractors can be investigated by others. I prefer to look back on my career at Celtic with deep gratitude and satisfaction.

"My time at the Club has brought joy to someone whose memories as a Celtic fan include standing as a schoolboy on the terraces as the European Cup was paraded at Celtic Park on that magical night in 1967.

"I have subsequently watched some great European nights at Paradise and am proud that the Club has played group-stage football in all but two of the last 21 years while also enjoying domestic dominance.

"I also take great pleasure in the continuing and ever more substantial impact of Celtic FC Foundation. The Club’s Foundation impacts so many lives in the Celtic Family and far beyond. We are more than a football club and the Foundation is the most obvious evidence of this truth.

"Our achievements were all made possible by a dedicated workforce and a fervent support binding together. I am deeply proud and privileged to have been part of that.

"My life at the Club has included dramatic ups and downs in football but they have also given me the experience, drive and desire which I will take on to my next project, whatever and wherever that may be.

"My thanks go to my many colleagues over the years who have supported me, and I am grateful to the coaches and players who delivered this era of remarkable and historic success.”

Non-executive director Brian Wilson will replace Lawwell in the interim until a permanent replacement is found.

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