CELTIC Park was the scene of thousands of empty seats for the Scottish Cup clash against Dundee after the Celtic Fans Collective called for a mass boycott of the game.
The protest group revealed plans not to attend the stadium for the visit of the Dee in the fifth round of the cup competition.
Targeting the board and their running of the club, the Collective urged fellow fans to join them in staying away following a meeting on Tuesday night.
And as a result several areas of the ground were left looking rather empty.
Attendances for cup matches can often be lower than league games but the numbers inside Celtic Park looked way below the norm.
In particular the section of the ground that would house the Green Brigade ultras group was sparsely populated as the match kicked off.
MEET THE OX
Oxlade-Chamberlain mobbed by fans on arrival at Celtic Park for Dundee cup game
It meant new free agent signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s official unveiling before kick-off was perhaps more subdued than he and the club might have hoped for.
And not long after the Hoops went down 1-0 in the game itself thanks to Ethan Hamilton‘s stunning strike, the crowd could be heard growing increasingly frustrated with the team on the park.
The Fans Collective said in a social media statement earlier this week: “Following the latest disappointing transfer window, the Celtic Fans Collective met last night to discuss the ongoing campaign for positive change at the football club.
“An overwhelming majority of supporters’ club representatives, fan group representatives, and independent supporters voted in favour of a boycott of Saturday evening’s cup match against Dundee.
“With supporters unjustly banned, fan media locked out, and an executive team widely regarded as unfit for purpose, the clear feeling within the Collective was that the time for action is now.
“While we recognise the difficult and emotional toll this decision will have on many Celtic supporters, we invite and encourage fans to stand with us in sending a clear and unequivocal message to Celtic FC: you must take decisive action, initiate meaningful change and restore positive communication with supporters.
“The Celtic Fans Collective has agreed on three key areas the club must address to prevent the boycott and further protest action.
- The removal of Michael Nicholson as CEO
- The reinstatement of the Green Brigade
- The lifting of access restrictions on all fan media organisations, allowing them to cover both the men’s and women’s teams once again. Following Brian Wilson’s call for unity four weeks ago, the Celtic Fans Collective offered to meet with the Chairman to discuss how this unity could be achieved at the club. Unfortunately, that offer was ignored. Despite this, we remain open to further engagement. In the meantime, the Celtic Fans Collective will begin the process of planning and coordinating further protest action in the coming weeks.”
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