Today, voters go to the polls to select new members of the Scottish Parliament. There are other elections being held elsewhere too…
It’s not been unknown for various Celtic figures – including players – to have connections with elections and politics. This includes some of the most famous names in the club’s history.
Fans of a certain age will remember the ‘red card’ protest against Margaret Thatcher in the 1988 Scottish Cup Final. However, this does not mean that all people connected with Celtic support these opinions.
One very notable Celt who became a politician was Lisbon hero Ronnie Simpson. In 1970, he was elected as an Edinburgh councillor for the Progressive Party. This was a political group similar in belief to the Conservatives.
Despite what Celtic fans may think about general beliefs, this is not the only player who has supported these views. One example is 1980s hero Murdo MacLeod, who later became the Bhoys’ assistant manager too. In 2010, he voiced his support for the Conservatives in a Scottish Parliamentary election.
Footballers earn much more than the average worker, so maybe it’s not surprise that they’re more likely to back right-wing policies. Frank McAvennie – Celtic’s centenary season hero – once praised Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for cutting higher levels of tax.
It is also worth noting that one member of the Celtic team that day refused to meet Thatcher. Although he played for Ireland, Mick McCarthy was from a Yorkshire mining background, and he could not hide his distaste for the Tory Prime Minister’s treatment of the miners.
In Celtic history, it’s difficult to name many people who have been more significant than Billy McNeill. Celtic’s Lisbon captain was an iconic captain and manager, leading the Bhoys to many dramatic trophy winning moments.
In 2003, he tried get elected as an MSP for the Scottish Senior Citizens’ Unity Party. Showing efforts made to attract publicity, the former Rangers player Eric Caldow also stood for the party. Ultimately, although both men helped raise the profile of their campaign, neither succeeded in these election hopes.
In recent times, the most high-profile Celt to stand for election is 1990s and early-2000s player Lubo Moravcik, who has become a politician in his homeland.
In 2022, he stood in two elections in his native Slovakia. The first attempt was as an independent candidate, but he failed to be elected to the regional parliament. However, he also stood for the Hlas Party in city elections. This is a Social Democratic party, considered to be a centre-left party. Moravcik was finally elected as a city councillor.
The most obvious modern Celt with a major political connection is Timo Weah, who spent the first part of 2019 in Glasgow’s east end, winning the League and Scottish Cup.
His father, George Weah, was a legendary forward. He had a career featuring time at AC Milan, PSG and Chelsea, as well as being a Ballon d’Or winner. Weah Senior was involved in various Liberian elections. He was eventually elected as President of Liberia from 2018-24.
Another modern Celt with a political father is Dedryck Boyata. In 2024, Bienvenu Boyata – himself a former footballer – stood for election to the Belgian parliament. This was for the Open VLD party, a Flemish political group. Despite his profile as a former player, he failed to win a seat.
And it’s not just fathers that have become involved in politics – the children of some Celts have done so too. Given the political views of the Reform Party, many Celtic fans were shocked when it was announced in 2025 that Stilian Petrov’s son was standing as a candidate for the right-wing party.
In recent years, different Board members at Celtic Park have been politicians. The most obvious is former Chairman John Reid. He was a Labour MP – and minister in different governments – and then became a member of the House of Lords.
Another ex-Labour MP – Brian Wilson – is the current interim chairman. As well as being a Board member he has a long-term association with Celtic, including writing an official history of Celtic in the 1987-88 centenary season.
Political connections are not new thing for Celtic. The most obvious of these goes back to Celtic’s earliest years. In 1889, the Irish politician Michael Davitt was appointed as a patron of the club. Davitt was renowned for his land campaigns, and he later became an MP.
Another early Committee member was William McKillop. He was an important figure in the club’s early development, and he later became an Irish MP, representing the firstly Armagh and then the Sligo area.
In fact, MPs were common sights at Celtic Park in the club’s early years. Multiple Irish figures who helped shaped Irish and British politics were guests at Celtic Park, reflecting the club’s political connections. One notable example was the MP Timothy Daniel Sullivan who wrote the song ‘God save Ireland’ and once sang this on the Celtic Park pitch.
In more recent times, many elected politicians have been Celtic fans. In the past few years, the most notable of these has been high profile MSPs like former First Minister Humza Yousaf, who is a member of the SNP. Others include people like former Scottish Socialist, Tommy Sheridan.
In an international sense, Celtic’s main fan was someone who experienced living under Communism during the Cold War. Former Celtic player Rudi Vata became friends with Ilir Meta, who served as Albanian President from 2017 to 2022. On numerous occasions, Meta has publicly stated his support for the Hoops.
Today’s vote will influence Scotland’s future in the coming years. Celtic fans, like everyone else, will hope for a brighter future – and the same can be said for the remainder of this season’s league and cup campaigns!
Matthew Marr
Follow Matthew on x @hailhailhistory
Post your own thoughts in the comments section below…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
