Well, this is a hard one to write.
Rangers’ former chairman Dave King has sold his stake in Rangers to Club 1872, a supporters’ group. This means fans will own the club (BBC).
Moreover, the South Africa-based businessman King said he did “not intend to profit from my efforts over the last six years to save our club”.
During King’s five years at our city rivals, the club formed in 2012 won promotion to the Premiership. They currently lead Celtic by 11 points, albeit having played two more matches.
Sounds like a plan
The relationship between the Celtic board and the supporters is at an all-time low. Despite winning endless silverware over the last 9 years, there have been complaints about the board’s approach.
Complacency in managerial appointments and mixed transfer spends have led to fan protests. Most notably, Celtic fans demonstrated outside Paradise on Sunday night, following a 2-0 loss to Ross County.
Fan ownership in the top-tier of Scottish football is nothing new. Supporters of Dundee United, Hearts, Hibs and St. Mirren hold the majority of shares at each of their clubs.
In Germany, the 50+1 rule enforces fan leadership at every league club, while Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are owned by supporters, who hold regular leadership elections.
If this is the way the wind is blowing across Europe, Celtic fans with a bit of spare cash need to really think about following suit.
Celtic’s current share price
At the time of writing, shares in Celtic PLC are listed between £100 and £106 on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Of course, the market fluctuates at any point in time, let alone during a global health pandemic.
Asking supporters en masse to spend more money on Celtic this season is probably beyond the pale. With three new kits, TV costs and missed games on the season book, fans have shelled out a lot of money so far this year.
That said, with Christmas coming up, a share in their club might be a welcome present for any supporter.
If supporters were to join forces in a bid to acquire majority shareholdings in Celtic, it wouldn’t be the first time.
The rebels won in 1994. With some organisation, the rebels could win again.
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