Celtic settle latest Celtic Boys Club abuse claim for five-figure sum

Celtic have paid a five-figure sum to settle a legal action brought by a man who said he was sexually abused as a youth player connected to Celtic Boys Club in 1989, according to his lawyers.The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, raised the action at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in February and reached an out-of-court settlement this month, Digby Brown said.Celtic initially denied liability before agreeing the settlement, the law firm said.The claim related to allegations involving Frank Cairney, who was a coach at the boys club and was convicted of nine charges of abusing young footballers in the 1980s before being jailed for four years in February 2019.The survivor said the impact had been long-lasting and primarily psychological. He said: “Abusive acts may be physical but the impact, for me, is nearly all mental and the worst of it is a paralysing feeling of shame and it’s something I’ve been dealing with for nearly 40 years.”He also said he had raised concerns with “multiple authority figures” shortly after the alleged abuse, but felt no meaningful action was taken at the time. “In terms of the settlement, I feel like I’ve finally been heard,” he said.Richard Pitts, a partner at Digby Brown specialising in historical abuse claims, said: “I am incredibly proud of my client for persevering with this action despite the enormous personal toll it has taken.”The settlement is the latest financial resolution linked to historic abuse allegations connected to Celtic Boys Club, an issue that has generated sustained legal and reputational scrutiny for the club and its wider corporate group.Last year, a lawsuit involving 24 victims ended with settlements totalling more than £1m, according to reports at the time, as clubs and governing bodies across the UK continue to face claims and governance questions arising from historic safeguarding failures.Celtic have previously said Celtic Boys Club was a separate entity, a position that has been central to past legal arguments and public debate around responsibility for historic wrongdoing.