Celtic CEO backs O'Neill as club reports £4.8m loss

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson publicly backed manager Martin O'Neill on Tuesday as the club reported a post-tax loss of £4.8m for the year ending June 30, 2026, reversing a £33.9m profit the previous year. Nicholson's statement in the club's annual report came after three consecutive defeats in eight days, including a 1-0 home loss to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, a 3-1 home defeat by Ferencvaros in the Europa League, and back-to-back Old Firm reverses. O'Neill said after the Rangers match that he would "genuinely reflect" on his future, prompting speculation that the 74-year-old might step aside during the three-week international break. "We will now come together and support Martin and the players, as we focus our efforts on achieving success domestically and in the Europa League," Nicholson wrote in the chief executive's review accompanying the accounts. Nicholson also apologised for consecutive Champions League qualifying exits to Kairat Almaty and LASK, stating that reaching the league phase of the Champions League "is an objective for us all, and we are sorry not to have achieved it.