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Given this abominable record of ‘child protection’, why did the 2018 Interim Report of the SFA Independent Review of Sexual Abuse in Scottish Football heap such glowing praise on Celtic’s safeguarding arrangements? 3.56 Celtic FC were, in 2013, the first club in Scotland to create a salaried dedicated post of Safeguarding Officer with wider duties and responsibilities and subsequently recruited to this (part time) post. This came about following an in-depth review which produced a code of ethics and good practice and vetting procedures for staff and volunteers. This review recommended that a post of Child Protection Officer (Safeguarding Officer) be created to continue this process at Celtic FC. 3.57 The Independent Review has been impressed by the commitment and leadership shown by Celtic FC to progressing improvements in the protection of young people and the reduction of risk at the club especially over the last six years. We are aware that more recently steps have been taken to continue this process of improvement and delivery. ” The Interim Report of the Independent Review of Sexual Abuse in Scottish Football - 15th June 2018 In the timeframe leading up to the ‘in-depth review’ referred to in the Interim Report (2013 to 2018); * Jim Stewart, the Celtic FC Child Protection Officer resigned, amid claims that bullying was being ignored by Celtic Boys Club Officials, * Jim Torbett had been convicted on five counts of sexual abuse, * Frank Cairney was facing six charges of indecent assault and two of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices, and * Gerald King was under investigation of alleged lewd and libidinous behaviour.

The ninth and final Celtic-associated convicted serial paedophile is Celtic Soccer Academy coach Mark McAuley. McAuley’s case is as much an indictment of Celtic FC’s so-called safeguarding policy as it is of McAuley’s paedophile activity. In January 2019, he was accused of nine charges of sexual offences on two boys under the age of 13, and two under the age of 16. The Times - 19 January 2022 It is alleged that McAuley repeatedly pinned a child down, put his hand under their trousers and touched their genitals. He is also accused of asking a child to remove his clothing and inviting them into his bed while he wore only his underwear. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at addresses in Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Tain in the Highlands, as well as in a vehicle on the A9 and elsewhere, between February 2016 and August 2019. McAuley’s online CV states that he was an international coach with the Celtic Soccer Academy, which is part of the Premiership club and teaches children to “learn to play the Celtic way”. Photographs posted online by the academy in 2019 show him working with young boys and girls, wearing Celtic FC training gear, at club-sanctioned training events held in Sweden, Northern Ireland, Qatar and Scotland.

After his Director’s Box pass was rescinded, and having been ostracised to the point where he was unable to carry out his duties as Boys Club chairman, Hugh Birt announced his resignation at the 1986 Celtic Boys Club Annual Awards Dinner. Shortly after his enforced resignation, Birt was interviewed by Gavin Goodwin of the Sunday Mail. ‘The chairman of the famous Celtic Boys Club sensationally resigned last week. He quit at a special 20th Anniversary celebration because, he said, the Celtic board were ignoring complaints from parents of some of the boys. Last night, Glasgow businessman Mr Hugh Birt (50) - who has been chairman for 12 years - said, “It was the board’s duty to investigate these complaints. Instead, nothing happened and I was more or less told not to rock the boat. Faced with that, I had no alternative but to resign.” Complaints from parents are recorded in the Boys Club Committee meetings of last November. They include complaints about - Boys being taken out socially when no games were involved, Boys arriving late back home, and Boys going away on weekends to non-existent tournaments. Mr Birt said the complaints were so serious he took them to Celtic vice-chairman Kevin Kelly. Later, he raised the matter with Celtic manager David Hay. Mr Birt was then asked to resign. When he refused, Celtic withheld his season ticket to the Parkhead director’s box. He has not been back at Parkhead since. Mr Birt said, “It appears the Celtic board want to look in the other direction in the hope the troubles will go away.” Leading Scots solicitor Joe Beltrami has been advising Mr Birt on the issue over the last nine months. Mr Beltrami said, “Mr Birt is a man of unquestionable integrity and his loyalty to Celtic and the Boys Club is total. He has taken the proper decision.” The Boys Club has five teams with almost 160 youngsters aged 12 to 16. It has produced such stars as Paul McStay, Roy Aitken, Charlie Nicholas and Tommy Burns. It is run by general manager Frank Cairney, his assistant Jim Torbett and a large group of helpers. At The Trophy Shop in Shawlands, Glasgow, where he works for Torbett, Kevin Kelly said, “It is correct that various complaints were raised and discussed at a meeting last November. But there was no concrete evidence to pursue it further. I did, however, take that opportunity to remind all officials of their responsibilities to the boys and their parents.” On the resignation request to Mr Birt, Kelly said, “I was upset that he had bothered Mr Hay on a matter that was not the manager’s concern. Along with Cairney and Torbett, we asked him to resign. He refused, and we thought things would settle down. None of us expected his resignation and, when it came, it was a bit of a shock.”’ Sunday Mail - 30 Nov 1986