Peter Lawwell has confirmed he will be leaving Celtic at the end of the year

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has announced he will stand down from his role at the club due to ‘intolerable abuse and threats’.

The 66-year-old’s decision will come into effect from December 31st, 2025.

Lawwell first joined the club in 2003 as chief executive - a role he held for 18 years. He returned in 2023 as a non-executive chairman but he and the club board have recently been the subject of criticism from fans.

Peter Lawwell to stand down as Celtic chairman

“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,” Lawwell confirmed in a statement published by Celtic.

“They have dismayed and alarmed my family. At this stage in my life, I don’t need this. I cannot accept this and so I leave the Club I have loved all my life.

“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.”

Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond has stressed he is ‘very sorry’ to see Lawwell depart in light of recent events and what he has endured’. While chief executive Michael Nicholson has described it as 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,” Nicholson said.

Fan protests against Peter Lawwell

The Celtic board has been the subject of fan protests throughout this season, initially following their underwhelming summer transfer window. The atmosphere surrounding the club darkened further when the Hoops failed to qualify for the Champions League, and their inconsistent run of results have added to the strain.

Celtic are currently six points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, having failed to take the chance to leapfrog them in Wilfried Nancy’s first game in charge.

The new manager has lost all three of his first games in charge of the Hoops, including the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren.

Last month, Celtic’s Annual General Meeting was abandoned following chants of ‘sack the board’ by some shareholders. Lawwell called time early on the meeting before the Q&A session had even started.

The Celtic Trust provided social media followers with a run-through of the AGM’s events, posting that Lawwell ‘attempted to mock fans’ with a quip about how some ‘don’t usually attend the AGM’.

Lawwell’s resignation statement continued: “My life at the Club has included dramatic ups and downs in football but they have also given me the experience, drive and desire which I will take on to my next project, whatever and wherever that may be.

"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.”