The Celtic Fans Collective responded with a strong statement after the club called out the group's actions at a St Andrews golf event over the weekend.
Fans protested Celtic owner Dermot Desmond at the evemt, throwing golf balls onto the course as Desmond tried to play.
"Celtic responded with a rather angry-sounding statement, which, in part, read: "A group purporting to act in the interests of Celtic supporters deliberately took a dispute concerning Celtic Football Club beyond Celtic Park and beyond football, to the home of golf, and disrupted an internationally recognised sporting event involving participants, organisers and spectators who have no involvement whatsoever in that dispute. In doing so, those responsible have sought to attach the name of Celtic and its supporters to their conduct on a public and international stage.
"Celtic’s reputation has been built over generations, and our supporters have earned a worldwide reputation for the extraordinary passion, loyalty and commitment with which they support their Club. That reputation was built over many decades by generations of Celtic supporters.
"Those responsible have brought shame upon the name of Celtic Football Club and upon a reputation which generations of Celtic supporters have spent more than a century building."
Naturally, the Celtic Fans Collective were not impressed with that statement, responding with one of its own.
"This tells Celtic supporters everything they need to know about Dermot Desmond and his priorities," the statement read.
“Yet when Celtic endure disastrous transfer windows, failed managerial appointments, supporters being attacked or kettled by police, or humiliating performances on the park that have actually damaged Celtic’s reputation, the same urgency is nowhere to be seen. This tells Celtic supporters everything they need to know about Dermot Desmond and his priorities.
"He appears furious that ordinary working-class fans have dared to air their grievances in the safe, elitist world of golf, embarrassing him in front of the network of people whose opinions he appears to value far more than those of Celtic supporters."
Billionaire owners must accept they are not untouchable
Billionaires are used to being protected at every moment of every day. They can afford to buy that kind of protection, and most would do the same.
But what that insulation does is trick people into the mistake of feeling as though such protection is a given right. But while it may be an additional benefit of being wealthy, it is not a given right.
What is frustrating for supporters is that they can rarely get anywhere near these owners to make their concerns heard, and many of them, like Desmond, don't attend every game.
Therefore, it is not possible for fans to make sure their concerns are heard by the owners as the club suggests they do. Instead, they have to find a way to get to the owners on the rare occasions when they are not protected from all of the outside noise, and unfortunately for them, when they are in the public domain, they are fair game.
The protest was disruptive, yes, but it wasn't violent. As long as it is done in the right way, it is a fair one.
Ultimately, owners must accept that actions have consequences, and when you run a club poorly enough for supporters to be left furious, you are never going to be particularly welcome in the surrounding areas of that club. Want to change that? Statements aren't going to cut it. Talk to fans, understand their issues, and even if you don't make major changes, make compromises that at least make them feel heard.
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