Change is needed at the top of Celtic. That view has been bubbling for a while. Erik Sviatchenko has now said it out loud.
The former Celtic defender spent two and a half years in Glasgow, winning six trophies and becoming a regular in the middle of the defence. He returned to FC Midtjylland, the club he came through at, and has seen both environments up close.
Celtic faced the Danish side earlier this season and lost 3-1 in the Europa League. The result was one thing. The wider picture told another story.
Midtjylland looked like a club with a plan. Celtic did not.
Sviatchenko knows how both operate behind the scenes. That is why his words carry weight. He said (RecordSport):
“I know from Midtjylland that sometimes it helps to have someone from outside looking in, someone with a different skill set or mindset, but who still understands the club. That’s a decision for the board.”
He pointed straight to structure and ownership.
“But it also depends on the model. Midtjylland have an incredibly wealthy owner, one of the richest men in Denmark. Maybe even top 100 in the world. He’s deeply invested in the club and has fallen in love with the academy and the way we do things differently.
“At Midtjylland, we’ve had two incredible owners who know exactly what it takes. The investment goes into the squad, the facilities, everything.”
Celtic supporters have watched other clubs push on in Europe while their own side stalls. Sviatchenko sees it too.
“Celtic should be there, going to quarter-finals. How is it possible that teams like Midtjylland from Denmark are doing that?”
That question has been asked in the stands for years.
“Because they’re heavily invested in players, they’re paying big money and their scouting is amazing. It might be something that needs to be looked at.”
Midtjylland are not standing still either. They have changed how they work and backed it.
“Midtjylland also brought in a manager, Mike Tullberg, with a different mindset. He came from Germany after 20 years and said, ‘I want to do it this way’. He was given the tools, changed the playing style and everyone bought into it.
“A team works better when you have different strengths. It’s a very flat structure. That’s the Midtjylland model.”
There is a clarity there. Everyone knows the direction.
“Celtic is such a historic club with huge pressure, but sometimes you need that cheekiness, to say openly, ‘we want to be top 50 in Europe’. Midtjylland were nowhere near that not long ago and now they’re close.”
Ambition and action are the issues with those at the club.
Ross Desmond’s comments at the AGM, speaking for his father and major shareholder Dermot Desmond, pointed to a board content with participation rather than progression. Qualification is treated as success. The next step is never properly addressed.
That mindset keeps the club where it is.
Sviatchenko has seen a different way of working. His point is simple. Celtic have the resources. They are not using them in the same way.
That gap is showing on the pitch and behind the scenes.
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