Celtic chair Peter Lawwell to stand down after ‘intolerable’ abuse from fans

• Celtic winless in three under new manager Nancy

• Lawwell will leave club at the end of December

Celtic’s chair, Peter Lawwell, has announced he is to stand down, citing “intolerable” treatment from a section of the club’s support. Lawwell’s exit will intensify a sense of crisis around the Scottish champions, who slumped to a League Cup final defeat by St Mirren on Sunday. This marked a third loss in succession for the new manager, Wilfried Nancy.

Lawwell, previously Celtic’s chief executive, and fellow directors have come under fierce criticism from fans. Errors in the transfer window, which triggered the exit of Brendan Rodgers, have fuelled frustration in the stands. Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifying phase by Kairat Almaty. The club have also been in regular conflict with the Green Brigade ultras group.