Fergus McCann

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Fergus McCann is a Scotland-born Canadian business person.

After establishing himself operating a golf vacation company out of Montreal and Phoenix, Arizona, McCann is most notable for his involvement in Celtic F.C., the football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. He accquired a 51% controlling stake of the club in 1994, after it became clear that the club was facing bankruptcy. ^[1] Acting as a guarantor for £7 million in debts, he refinanced the club and was responsible for the building of a modern stadium at Celtic Park with a capacity of over 60,000.

He did not endear himself to a number of the club's supporters and employees, however, because of his abrasive manner and his focus on building a sustainable infrastructure for the club off the field rather than a title winning one on the field. ^[2] ^[3] Although credited with saving the club financially, he stated at the outset that he would only stay for 5 years and that he would return the Scottish Football League title to Celtic Park, which he did, halting Old Firm rivals Rangers F.C. from achieving a record-breaking 10 titles in row.

In 1999, McCann sold his shares leaving Dermot Desmond as the largest shareholder with a 19.8% holding. He offered an interest-free payment plan to assist individuals in purchasing his shares, rather then institutions, resulting in the club being 63% owned by supporters at the time he left. ^[4] He also donated £1.5 million of his profits from the sale to the club to fund a Celtic football academy.

McCann returned to North America where he founded LimoLiner, a company running luxury bus services between Boston and Manhattan ^[5] ^[6]