O'Neill reaffirms Celtic commitment amid supporter boycott dispute

Martin O'Neill has reaffirmed his commitment to Celtic after questioning his future following three consecutive defeats. BBC Sport reported on Friday that the 74-year-old said he had not needed long to decide to continue, explaining that he was happy to remain in charge for as long as the club wanted him.

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The uncertainty followed two losses to Rangers, with a 3-1 home Europa League defeat by Ferencvaros between them. O'Neill said the international break had given him time to reflect on that difficult spell. He suggested he might not have raised the possibility of leaving had matches continued immediately, and said departing at this stage would have been the wrong decision.

O'Neill signed a one-year contract after two interim spells last season ended with Celtic winning the league and Scottish Cup. He said that success remained a source of motivation and reiterated his belief in the squad. With nine fixtures in 28 days before the next international break, he identified winning the league as the team's priority.

His comments came alongside a separate dispute involving supporters and the board. In another report on Friday, BBC Sport said the Green Brigade had announced a boycott of Scottish Cup fixtures and home European matches. The group criticised the influence of Dermot Desmond, Celtic's largest shareholder, and described a widening separation between supporters and those running the club.

Desmond had been targeted by a protest involving tennis balls at the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews. Celtic threatened indefinite bans for anyone established to have helped organise or carry out the incident. The club also stopped recognising the Celtic Fans Collective, a coalition that includes the Green Brigade, as a representative organisation. The Green Brigade denied its members were involved in the protest, while expressing support for those responsible.

O'Neill condemned the St Andrews incident and expressed sadness about the boycott. Recalling the unity around Celtic's finish to last season, he said the club's togetherness had given him a feeling that the team could not be beaten.