Celtic have cancelled fan media access to Wilfried Nancy’s unveiling press conference at the last minute.
Just hours before the media conference took place, the club confirmed that no fan media would be allowed access.
In a break away from recent tradition, it will be only mainstream media outlets that will speak to Wilfried Nancy at his first media address.
In another curious development, the presser has been moved from Celtic Park to Lennoxtown. This is another break away from tradition – even Martin O’Neill had his unveiling at the stadium, despite being an interim appointment.
It’s all part of what feels like a wider PR crisis, at a club scrambling for control.
Celtic’s handling of this season
The outlet that published damning quotes from a club insider about Brendan Rodgers – while he was still at the club – will be present at the unveiling.
This is telling. In the end, these quotes suited the club’s narrative. They used strikingly similar language to Dermot Desmond’s scathing statement released an hour after Rodgers’ eventual departure.
READ MORE: Brilliant story of Martin O’Neill showing his class behind the scenes at Celtic press conference
The club is making it unmistakably clear: they cannot cope when the narrative doesn’t suit them – particularly when it’s coming from Celtic fans.
In denying fan media outlets access to Nancy’s unveiling, they have distracted from their new appointment by bringing their broken relationship with supporters to the fore once again.
Ross Desmond’s astonishing statement at the club’s AGM was near-enough a declaration of war against Celtic supporters.
It accused some fans of their ‘only vocation in life’ being ‘to be anti-establishment.’ It was incredible stuff.
It wasn’t coherent PR; it wasn’t carefully worded. It came across as reckless and confrontational.
And though the club has subtly addressed its disregard for sections of the support in the past, it has now completely abandoned that subtlety.
Celtic may refer to a ‘small majority’ of fans in statements, but in their locking out of all fan media, they are not sending a message to the minority.
This is a message to the majority of Celtic fans that their opinions aren’t welcome.
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