Celtic\u2019s interest in appointing Robbie Keane as their new manager has provoked anger among the club\u2019s pro-Palestinian fans after his previous role with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
\nKeane is the leading contender to take charge of the Scottish champions after reportedly entering talks with the club\u2019s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond.
\nKeane, who is Ireland\u2019s record goalscorer, enjoyed a prolific loan spell at Celtic in 2010.
\nBut his decision to stay in Israel after the conflict in Gaza started caused criticism in Ireland and turned a vocal section of the Celtic fan base against him.
\nCeltic supporters have displayed Palestinian flags at matches throughout the conflict.
\nNow, graffiti and banners opposing the prospect of Keane becoming manager have appeared outside Celtic\u2019s stadium in Glasgow.
\nA statement from a group called \u2018Celtic Fans for the Liberation of Palestine\u2019 said hiring Keane \u201cwould be deeply divisive among the support\u201d.
\nThe \u2018North Curve Celtic\u2019 account on X has published a list of 67 groups that endorsed the statement.
\n\u201cCeltic supporters have a long and proud history of solidarity with the Palestinian people,\u201d the statement said.
\n\u201cFor us, Robbie Keane\u2019s decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during the genocide in Gaza is impossible to ignore.
\n\u201cTo choose to manage a club in Israel while, less than 40 miles away, the same country was using indiscriminate weapons of mass murder against defenceless people is unconscionable.
\n\u201cCeltic was founded by a community shaped by the legacy of genocide, displacement and famine. Our club\u2019s roots lie in solidarity with those who suffered injustice and oppression.
\n\u201cWe urge the Celtic board to listen to supporters\u2019 concerns and reconsider this appointment.\u201d
\nKeane was appointed by Maccabi in June 2023, prior to the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 that triggered Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza.
\nThe 45-year-old guided Maccabi to the league and cup double before resigning in 2024 and moving to Hungarian club Ferencvaros last year.
\nKeane said he had stayed for the full campaign partly because of his responsibility to staff he took with him to Israel.
\n\u201cI have a duty of care,\u201d he said. \u201cMy analyst, for example, was at Middlesbrough for 12 years. For him to come with me to Israel and then for me to just walk away, leaving him and his family.\u201d
\nInterim boss Martin O\u2019Neill, 74, led Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title on the last day of this season and also lifted the Scottish Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Celtic\u2019s interest in appointing Robbie Keane as their new manager has provoked anger among the club\u2019s pro-Palestinian fans after his previous role with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv. Keane is the leading contender to take charge of the Scottish champions after reportedly entering talks with the club\u2019s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond. Keane, who is Ireland\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-549881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n