Glasgow City Council have responded to Brian Wilson’s comments about the Safety Advisory Group’s recent meeting and the ongoing ban on the Green Brigade.
Celtic’s interim chairman claimed that Mark Hargreaves lobbied for the ultras return to Celtic Park but this was rebuffed by Police Scotland at the SAG meeting.
Labour Party stalwart Wilson was surprisingly accepting of Glasgow’s SNP council stepping on his toes and telling him who can and cannot support the club that Wilson is chairman of.
The man who never misses an opportunity to bash the SNP on any issue suddenly became very accepting of the SNP council telling him how Celtic PLC should be run.
No angry newspaper columns, just meek acceptance.
It was a claim few Celtic fans believe, much like the rest of the Celtic board’s statements this year.
CHAIRMAN WILSON- NOT TO BE TRUSTED?
In response to Wilson’s claims, a spokesman for Glasgow City Council told Celtic365: “The Celtic Park Safety Advisory Group includes Celtic Football Club, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and the Ambulance Service.
“All members of the group work together to ensure spectator safety is maintained within the stadium.
“The safety certificate holder is ultimately responsible for spectator safety within their stadium.”
It has also been confirmed that Celtic is ultimately responsible for what happens within Celtic Park.
Unfortunately minutes of the meeting are currently unavailable as they may contain sensitive operational information that remains confidential to protect public safety.
Something isn’t adding up here.
Yes, the self-harm inflicted on the club they will have to answer for. It certainly is not World Class whether we are successful or not.
— James Cairney (@yenriacsemaj) March 22, 2026
From the council statement, it certainly doesn’t sound like SAG meetings are raucous affairs where the different parties argue vehemently to adopt a common position.
Which makes the idea that Mark Hargreaves fought for the Green Brigade’s return only to be argued down by Police Scotland all the more unbelievable.
Hargreaves spent 25 years working for Police Scotland until he linked up with his old school mate Michael Nicholson at Celtic last summer.
MARK HARGREAVES AND THE BOYS IN BLUE
The chances of Hargreaves not knowing or never having worked with the Police Scotland representative at the SAG meeting are extremely slim.
If Police Scotland did in fact refuse to listen to Mark Hargreaves, it doesn’t say very much for his job performance at Celtic or his relationship building skills.
What is the point of having an ex senior police officer as safety advisor when Police Scotland tell him to sit down and shut up when safety matters are being discussed?
Hargreaves tenure at Celtic Park has been an unmitigated disaster from day one, and the SAG meeting just confirms this, however the meeting went.
According to the Celtic board’s version of events we have employed a former senior police officer whose advice is completely ignored by Police Scotland.
And we have Labour Party stalwart as chairman who allows the SNP to tell him how to run Celtic FC.
The more logical conclusion is what a lot of Celtic fans immediately thought after listening to Wilson’s statement on Celtic TV – Even the Celtic board can no longer justify or explain the ban on the Green Brigade and they are now trying to use SAG as a convenient patsy.
CELTIC AT WAR WITH THEIR ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT FANS
In the course of one season the board have gone from saying everything is fine to getting Desmond Junior in to berate the support and they are now pointing a finger and saying a big boy done it and ran away.
And all the while their efforts are there for everyone to see on the pitch and the silence, disillusion and apathy in the stands.
The only positive to take from the SAG debacle is that the board obviously realise that they are no longer believed or trusted by the support.
The message has finally hit home and they do not have the courage of their convictions to stand up and say why they want the Green Brigade banned.
Brian Wilson’s next newspaper column should be very interesting.
If his comments to Celtic TV about Glasgow City Council banning Celtic fans from Celtic Park are true, we can expect his most vitriolic rant yet against the SNP.
RELATED READING
- The suspicious use of the Safety Advise Group of Glasgow City Council
- Harrowing listen as the reality of the attack on the Green Brigade is laid bare
Select Celtic365 as a “Preferred Source” on Google News for prompts to the independent news and opinions that you respect.
