‘Running away like daft wee boys’ – Ally McCoist blasts Celtic supporters over golf protest

Ally McCoist has branded the Celtic supporters who targeted Dermot Desmond at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship “embarrassing” as the fallout from the St Andrews protest continues.

Desmond was playing at the annual golf event when a group of masked protesters appeared at the course and tennis balls were thrown in his direction.

Celtic subsequently issued a furious statement condemning the incident, claiming those involved had “brought shame” on the club and warning that individuals identified as taking part could face indefinite bans from Celtic Park.

The incident has further inflamed tensions between the Parkhead hierarchy and sections of the Celtic support, but Rangers legend McCoist had little sympathy for the protesters.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, McCoist laughed while discussing footage of the incident and criticised those involved.

He said: “It’s an interesting one at the weekend. Dermot Desmond was playing golf up at the Dunhill. That was embarrassing, wasn’t it?

“He plays every year. He loves it. And fair play to him, he goes up there and plays every year. And all these numpties come on and then they are running away like daft wee boys. It is embarrassing, it’s exactly what it is. It’s actually hilarious if you look at it.”

Gabriel Agbonlahor also weighed in on the protest and admitted he initially questioned whether the footage circulating online was genuine.

He said: “I saw it. I didn’t know if it was real or not. You can’t tell with social media.

“I didn’t know if it was AI or something else. Tennis balls while he was playing? Embarrassing. Do you know what he should’ve done? He should’ve got his golf club and pinged a golf ball off them while they were running away!”