Celtic’s decade of boardroom mismanagement in UCL qualifiers

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The Celtic Star

·29 August 2025

Celtic’s decade of boardroom mismanagement in UCL qualifiers

A decade of mismanagement in Champions League qualifiers points to only one isolating factor: The Celtic Board…

Peter Lawwell, Chairman of Celtic, Dermot Desmond, Non-Executive Director of Celtic, and Michael Nicholson, CEO of Celtic, are seen in attendance prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and theRangers at Celtic Park on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic’s defeat to Kairat Almaty in Tuesday’s Champions League playoffs further highlighted the club’s long-standing struggles in European qualification over the past decade. Four managers and all have had the same issue. We must ask ourselves as supporters, why is this the case?

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With Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda all missing in the penalty shootout after 135 minutes of utter dross, Brendan Rodgers’ side are now consigned to Europa League football for the rest of the season. Three cheers for the Celtic Board, hip-hip…

Celtic’s calamity in Almaty marked yet another early Champions League exit, making it the fifth straight season in which the club have fallen short at the qualifying stage.

By winning the Scottish Premiership in 2024/25, 2023/24, and 2022/23, Celtic secured direct qualification to the Champions League group stage. In the last five seasons that Celtic were required to navigate the qualifying rounds, it has been embarrassment after embarrassment after embarrassment after embarrassment after embarrassment.

Ange Postecoglou manager of Celtic with Vasilis Barkas and Dane Murray of Celtic after the during the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round First Leg between Celtic and FC Midtjylland at Celtic Park on July 20, 2021. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)

In 2021/22, Midtjylland ousted Celtic in the second qualifying round under Ange Postecoglou, while Ferencvaros and Cluj ended Neil Lennon’s side’s hopes in the two seasons before that.

Looking back to Rodgers’ first tenure, Celtic were eliminated by AEK Athens in the third qualifying round of the 2018/19 season and the parallels to that campaign and the current one are striking.

During his previous stint, Rodgers guided Celtic past Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Astana to reach the Champions League in 2016/17 and 2017/18, whereas in 2015/16, Ronny Deila’s side fell 4-3 on aggregate to Malmo in the playoff round following a 2-0 defeat in the second leg in Sweden.

The season before, 2014/15, Celtic were once again beaten in the playoff round, this time by then Slovenian champions Maribor. Deila’s men were also humiliated 6-1 on aggregate by Legia Warsaw in the round before but went through via the Polish side playing an ineligible player at Murrayfield in the second leg.

Despite a dreadful pattern of losses in Champions League qualifying rounds, this season marks Celtic’s return to the Europa League for the first time since 2021/22.

Celtic has won ONE in FIFTEEN

If you take the two-legged games as mentioned against Legia Warsaw, Maribor, Malmo, AEK Athens, Cluj, Ferencvaros, Midtylland and Kairat, the club have won one game in FIFTEEN decisive qualifying matches.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic reacts to missing an opportunity Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug just 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Celtic have been knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers seven of the last nine times they have entered them ranging from QR2 defeats to playoff losses.

This pattern of blatant mismanagement cannot go on

This pattern of blatant mismanagement cannot go on. People can blame the manager, the players or other factors, but the ill-prepared nature in which the squad looked like on Tuesday is not something new, it’s very much what Ronny Deila, Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers have all had to endure.

Brendan Rodgers manager of Celtic Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 August 2025 Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

This calamity is 100% down to mindset in the Celtic boardroom

Let’s be very clear. This calamity is 100% down to mindset in the Celtic boardroom. They need to be held responsible. They have cost the club millions through not backing past and present managers for the biggest games of the season. The Celtic Board has continually embarrassed the Hoops. It’s time for change.

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Foreword by Danny McGrain. Published on Celtic Star Books on 5 September 2025. Click on image to pre-order.

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