Peter Lawwell, longtime chairman of Celtic Football Club, announced this week his retirement from the post. He calls longstanding abusive behavior and threats directed toward him and his family the primary impetus for his resignation. Lawwell’s departure is the end of an often brilliant, sometimes misguided, but always influential era. He brought 21 years of service to the club’s doorstep and witnessed an astonishing 38 cup or title triumphs in that span.
Lawwell’s time with the Scottish giants began in 2003 when he became the chief executive. During an 18-year reign in that position, he was instrumental in establishing the club’s contemporary identity. In January 2023 he took on the role of non-executive chairman. His leadership brought the most scrutiny and protests from fans, leading to his resignation.
A Legacy of Success
During his tenure at Celtic, Lawwell presided over a stellar range of achievements that have profoundly shaped the club long-term. He was crucial to the establishment of Celtic’s training base at Lennoxtown. He played a big role in creating the new facility at Barrowfield, too. Further to this, he oversaw significant improvements to the renowned Celtic Park, providing a much-improved matchday experience to supporters.
During his leadership, that club would go on to have a period of success that was unrivaled at the time. Lawwell reflected on this in his resignation statement, expressing gratitude towards his colleagues, coaches, and players:
“My thanks go to my many colleagues over the years who have supported me, and I am grateful to the coaches and players who delivered this era of remarkable and historic success.” – Peter Lawwell
His economic successes were the result of different domestic political victories. Perhaps even bigger European nights followed, establishing Celtic as the undeniable juggernaut of Scottish football.
Rising Tensions and Fan Protests
At this point, despite his successes, Lawwell’s leadership was coming under greater agitation from a growing segment of Celtic supporters. Protests broke out against the board. Fans doggedly expressed their ire about UFRs and FC Dallas’s attempts to build by buying the opposite spectrum. Once he moved from chief executive to chairman, the heat came on. It left many proponents wondering why their concerns went completely ignored.
He ended up resigning, though, after the attacks and investigations began to take a toll, creating the hostile environment. According to him, his exclusion has severely affected him and his family.
“I believe that my 18 years as chief executive and three years as chairman at the club have shown my ability to meet and overcome challenges on many fronts, but abuse and threats from some sources have increased and are now intolerable.” – Peter Lawwell
Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, acknowledged Lawwell’s contributions to the club while expressing disappointment at his decision to leave. Desmond emphasized his understanding of the situation:
A Respectful Farewell
Desmond further remarked on the impact of Lawwell’s career at Celtic:
“I am personally very sorry to lose Peter as our chairman, but I understand and respect his decision, in light of recent events and what he has endured.” – Dermot Desmond
Michael Nicholson, Celtic’s chief executive officer, similarly denounced the hateful conduct aimed at Lawwell. He stated:
“The motivations and aims of these detractors can be investigated by others. I prefer to look back on my career at Celtic with deep gratitude and satisfaction.” – Dermot Desmond
Michael Nicholson, Celtic’s chief executive officer, also condemned the abusive behavior directed towards Lawwell. He stated:
“This is a sad day for Celtic. The abuse and threats directed towards Peter, and the impact on his family, are completely unacceptable. Such conduct will never be tolerated by the club.” – Michael Nicholson
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