Celtic Fans Throw Tennis Balls at Desmond at Dunhill — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Dermot Desmond, Celtic's largest individual shareholder, had tennis balls with his crossed-out face thrown onto the 15th green of the Alfred Dunhill Links pro-am and was escorted off the course by security, according to images released by protesters.
- The Celtic Fans Collective released a statement and footage claiming Desmond has "essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability," and declared that arrangement "cannot continue."
- Desmond, 76, has drawn criticism for Celtic's lack of progress in Europe and underwhelming transfer business, and publicly blamed former manager Brendan Rodgers for problems that marred the start of the 2025-26 season after Rodgers' resignation.
- Celtic's November AGM had to be abandoned due to fan unrest, where Desmond's son Ross read a statement on his behalf defending him as a "lifelong and passionate" Celtic supporter and vowing the board would not be "bullied by aggressive and irrational" criticism.
- Desmond defended then-chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson against attempts to "dehumanise and vilify them," and labelled critics "bullies" following the banning of the Green Brigade ultras group.
- The other outlet covering this tournament (BBC Sport) is running a completely different angle — England's Jordan contending at Alfred Dunhill — meaning the Desmond protest appears to be receiving almost no mainstream UK crossover coverage.
Why it matters: The escalation from stadium protests to a public golf course ambush shows fan frustration has moved beyond matchdays and into Desmond's personal life, while his refusal to engage — calling critics "bullies" and defending the board after an abandoned AGM — suggests the standoff with the Celtic support base is hardening rather than resolving.
Ask SkimNews
