Frank Cairney jailed after his abuse came to light
In a statement, Thompsons said he was “pleased to confirm” that Celtic had indicated its aim to participate in deal negotiations as part of the group dispute.
“Celtic Plc has officially declared its duty or made extra-formal concessions, but its preference for entering into negotiations now to explore the option of a settlement of this action has been clearly expressed.
“The parties will request the court to postpone the next evidentiary hearing to allow work to be done to evaluate individual cases. “
The company said it would comment further.
Group proceedings were introduced into Scottish law in 2020 and allow teams of two or more people with similar claims to bring an individual action to the Court of Session.
A hearing on the collective dispute scheduled for October at the Court of Session before Lord Arthurson.
From now on, this hearing will not take place and Celtic and Thompson will attempt to reach an amicable agreement on the terms and reimbursement of the claimant.
Jim Torbett had obtained permission from prominent Celtic manager Jock Stein to create the boys’ club in 1966, as an affiliate affiliated with the senior Array.
A steady stream of skill grew from the men’s club to Celtic’s first team in the 70s and 80s.
But then it would become clear that Torbett’s motives were not limited to offering the stars of the future to the Parkhead club.
Torbett was convicted in 1998 of abusing three players in the 1970s and served a brief criminal sentence.
Jim Torbett said he was a “good person. “
But in 2016, as decades of sexual abuse allegations rocked football, Scotland’s BBC began investigating Celtic Boys Club again.
New allegations were made in a 2017 BBC documentary from Scotland, in which the BBC followed Torbett to the United States and confronted him.
The documentary sparked a new police investigation and led to Torbett being convicted in 2018 of abusing three boys in the 1980s.
A series of other convictions soon followed, with Frank Cairney and Jim McCafferty jailed after decades of abuse within the boys’ club and other groups came to light.
McCafferty died last year.
As many as six men in training or other positions at Celtic Boys Club have been convicted of sexual offences against children.
Following the convictions, survivors of the alleged abuses took their cases to civilian courts. They filed a complaint against Celtic’s senior team, arguing that they were responsible for the abuse they had suffered.
The two clubs – they said – were so closely related that they formed the same thing, with players recruited through the senior club on school contracts, but entrusted to the men’s club to continue their football development.
Several celebrities, Jock Stein, have held positions at the boys’ club and at Celtic.
Former Celtic manager Jock Stein (left) gave Torbett (right) permission to form Celtic Boys Club in 1966.
Many survivors claim that there is no difference between one club and another, neither in its spirit nor in its practice.
Since the start of the legal action against him, Celtic have expressed sadness at the abuses that have taken place, but have publicly stated and argued in court that he is not guilty as the two clubs are completely separate entities.
There now appears to be a shift in Celtic’s position, with the club indicating to lawyers representing survivors that it is in a position to take part in negotiations to resolve their cases.
It is understood that discussions between the two lawyers will take place in the coming months on the precise terms of any agreement.
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