Celtic fans take fight to Dermot Desmond: balls thrown at St Andrews

Dermot Desmond became the target of a protest on the 15th green at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro-am in St Andrews.

Supporters threw tennis balls carrying his photo, with the face scored out, onto the green as he played the hole.

Desmond is Celtic’s largest individual shareholder.

The Desmond protest appeared to have been organised and publicised by the Celtic Fans Collective.

The group released a statement along with footage and images of the moment, which was also relayed in this BBC Sport story.

Celtic fans protest at Desmond: how it happened

The incident happened during the pro-am stage of the tournament.

Desmond has played in the event for years as a well-known figure in Scottish sport. He is known to be close to the tournament organisers.

The Celtic Fans Collective said the gesture was meant to highlight a lack of openness at boardroom level.

According to the Celtic Fans Collective: “Dermot Desmond has essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability.”

The group’s statement came with video of the moment.

The footage spread quickly among Celtic supporters online. The Celtic End summary carried further reaction from fans frustrated with the club’s direction under Desmond’s long ownership.

What this says about control and accountability

Desmond remains Celtic’s largest individual shareholder. He is the de-facto ruler of the club despite not being a majority owner.

He has held that position of influence for close to three decades, but critics have questioned his role in recent seasons.

They point to the club’s lack of progress in Europe and transfer business that has often fallen short.

The frustration is not new.

After Brendan Rodgers resigned at the start of last season, Desmond blamed much of the turmoil on the departing manager.

The turmoil had marred the opening months of the 2025/26 campaign.

That tension spilled into the open at Celtic’s annual general meeting last November.

Fan unrest and discord in the room after an address from the top table forced the meeting to be abandoned.

Desmond’s son, Ross, read a statement on his father’s behalf and said the board would not be “bullied by aggressive and irrational” criticism.

Ross Desmond also defended chief executive Michael Nicholson and Peter Lawwell. He said attempts to “dehumanise and vilify them are shameful”.

Desmond and his son have repeatedly pointed to fans, rather than the boardroom, when explaining Celtic’s problems.

That habit of outward blame helps explain why the Desmond protest struck a chord with so many supporters.

It fits a wider story of results and transfer business under criticism, as our report on Celtic under pressure and our take on Celtic’s wider picture both detailed this season.

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