Editorial Standards

Sources and verification

• Official club, competition and regulatory sources take priority.
• Material claims should be supported by at least two reliable sources where possible.
• Quotes must be traceable to an interview, transcript, recording or named publication.
• Reported transfer fees and contract terms are labelled when not officially confirmed.

News, analysis and opinion

News reports state what happened and where the information came from. Analysis and supporter opinion are presented as judgement, not disguised as fact.

Editorial desks

Bylines name editorial desks — Match, Transfer, Tactical and Features — not invented human journalists. Each desk has a public page describing its remit. Coverage is desk-reviewed against sourcing and correction standards.

• Match Desk — match reports and referee context
• Transfer Desk — confirmed business vs rumour
• Tactical Desk — dossiers and Europe analysis
• Features Desk — history and evergreen pieces

Whisper lane

The Whisper badge appears only on Transfer Desk rumour or single-source transfer talk that has not cleared the full verification gate. It is never used on confirmed scores, match reports or tactical dossiers. Whisper pieces can appear in search and the standard RSS feed, but they are not presented as confirmed fact and stay out of Google News.

European opponent analysis

As Celtic’s European fixtures approach, opponent pieces compare that side with Celtic: how they play, where they threaten Paradise or an away night, and what the tie asks of the team. Profiles that ignore Celtic’s context do not meet the standard.

For foreign opponents where UK papers have little tactical detail, we look to approved local sports wires and official club or competition club pages — specific match previews and reports, not standings hubs or bare homepage links.

Original value

Articles should add context, explain why a development matters and link readers to the original reporting. Celts Central does not publish recycled summaries simply to chase search traffic.

Corrections

Material corrections are shown on the article with an updated timestamp. See our corrections policy or contact editor@celtscentral.com.