| Ex-boss O’Neill severs his final ties
with Celtic  IRISH
telecoms multi-millionaire Denis O’Brien has bought the shares in
Celtic owned by the football club’s former manager Martin O’Neill.
The move means O’Neill has severed his ties to the Scottish club
after selling 1.6million shares for more than £500,000.
An announcement by the Stock Exchange confirmed: “Celtic have received
notification that Martin O’Neill has disposed of his entire interest
in 1,600,000 convertible preferred ordinary shares in the capital of Celtic.”
O’Neill earned about £512,000 before tax based on Celtic’s
share price at the time of 32p.
The Stock Exchange also said that O’Brien’s Telstar Holdings
acquired 1.6million shares in Celtic — bringing the businessman’s
shareholding in the club to 2.4million shares or 13.32 per cent of the
club.
O’Neill participated in Celtic’s 2001 share issue which raised
£22.5 million for the club.
He had suggested in 2004 that he might be prepared to forego a £230,000
dividend on shares he held at the time so money could be reinvested in
the club, which was at the time £17million in debt.
O’Neill departed Celtic at the end of the 2004-05 season after five
years at Parkhead to care for his wife Geraldine who was ill.
The former Nottingham Forest defender spent 15 months out of the game
before being appointed manager of Premiership side Aston Villa last August. |
