NafisaCallum McGregor’s actions immediately after Celtic’s latest defeat have suddenly become a talking point among supporters after footage from the closing moments at Celtic Park began circulating online.
The Celtic captain appeared to head towards the tunnel at full-time while several of his teammates moved towards the supporters who had remained inside the stadium.
Kieran Tierney and Cameron Carter-Vickers were among those seen heading towards the North Curve, while McGregor appeared to go in the opposite direction.
On its own, it is only a brief moment.
But given everything that had happened over the previous 90 minutes, it was always likely to attract attention.
Celtic had just suffered another damaging defeat, this time losing 3-1 to Ferencváros in their opening Europa League league-phase fixture. The result came only four days after Martin O’Neill’s side had been beaten 3-0 by Rangers at Ibrox.
That made Thursday night’s result particularly difficult to take.
Celtic started positively and created opportunities early on, but Ferencváros struck first when Bamidele Yusuf’s effort deflected off Liam Scales.
Mika Baur eventually restored parity shortly before half-time, briefly giving Celtic hope of turning the game around.
Instead, the visitors struck again before the break through Kristoffer Zachariassen.
Then, just two minutes into the second half, former Celtic winger Daniel Arzani produced a superb strike to put Ferencváros 3-1 ahead.
Celtic had possession and continued trying to create opportunities, but the comeback never materialised. The final whistle eventually brought another night of frustration for a team already under intense scrutiny.
And that is why the footage involving McGregor has attracted so much attention.
As captain, he is one of the most recognisable figures at the club and one of the players supporters naturally look towards after difficult results.
The video appears to show him heading towards the tunnel while other senior players remained on the pitch and moved towards the supporters.
That has inevitably led to questions about why he did not appear to join them.
However, there is an important detail that cannot simply be ignored.
The footage does not establish why McGregor walked towards the tunnel.
It does not show him deliberately refusing to acknowledge the supporters, nor does it provide evidence that he was attempting to avoid responsibility after the defeat.
In fact, McGregor carried out media duties after the match, speaking about the defeat and the enormous challenge Celtic now face when Rangers return to Celtic Park on Sunday. Celtic’s own channels also published his post-match interview.
That means there is a perfectly plausible explanation for the direction he took.
He may simply have been heading towards his scheduled media commitments.
There is also the possibility that the moment was nothing more than an immediate reaction to an extremely difficult evening.
McGregor had just played the full match in another heavy defeat, with Celtic now facing back-to-back losses against Rangers and Ferencváros.
More importantly, the captain did not remain silent afterwards.
McGregor fronted up to the media and addressed the situation facing the squad, with reports from his post-match comments highlighting just how seriously he views Celtic’s current predicament.
That context matters.
It would therefore be unfair to take several seconds of footage and turn it into definitive evidence that McGregor deliberately snubbed the supporters.
What can be established is much simpler: McGregor headed towards the tunnel while several teammates, including Tierney and Carter-Vickers, continued towards the fans.
Everything beyond that remains interpretation.
And with Celtic already facing huge pressure following two consecutive defeats, even an ordinary moment at full-time is now capable of becoming a major talking point.
For McGregor, however, one brief piece of footage will not define his role at Celtic.
The captain has been at the club for years, and on Thursday night he did ultimately face the cameras and speak about the defeat.
Now, with another Old Firm clash only days away, the attention will quickly shift back to the pitch.
Because whatever happened in those few seconds after the Ferencváros defeat, Celtic’s biggest problem is no longer what happened when the final whistle went.
It is what they do when Rangers arrive at Celtic Park again on Sunday.
Nafisa
