Brendan Rodgers Quits As Celtic Manager Amid Bitter Row With Club Hierarchy

28 Oct 2025, 11:59 by Ernest Victor · Naija News

Brendan Rodgers has stepped down as Celtic manager, bringing an abrupt end to his second spell in charge after a public fallout with the club’s major shareholder, who accused him of being “divisive, misleading and self-serving.”

Celtic confirmed on Monday that former boss Martin O’Neill and ex-player Shaun Maloney will take temporary charge while the club searches for a permanent replacement.

Rodgers’ departure comes less than 24 hours after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts, a result that left the Scottish champions eight points adrift of the Edinburgh side in second place.

“Brendan leaves with our thanks for the role he has played during a period of continued success for the club, and we wish him further success in the future,” Celtic said in an official statement.

“We are pleased that during this interim period, former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and former Celtic player Shaun Maloney have agreed to take charge of first-team matters.”

The club added that the hunt for a new manager was already underway, with former boss Ange Postecoglou, recently dismissed by Nottingham Forest, among the early frontrunners.

Rodgers, 52, returned to Celtic Park in 2023 after four years away and delivered back-to-back Premiership titles, adding to his earlier triumphs in 2017 and 2018. However, this season has been overshadowed by poor results and growing tension behind the scenes.

Celtic’s shock Champions League exit to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty and a lacklustre domestic campaign intensified scrutiny on the Northern Irishman. His public criticism of the club’s summer transfer dealings appeared to deepen the rift with the board.

Following a 2-0 loss to Dundee earlier this month, Celtic’s first defeat at Dens Park in 37 years, Rodgers openly questioned the club’s recruitment policy. “We’ve lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals,” he said.

“And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari.’ It’s not going to happen.”

That comment appears to have been the breaking point. In a sharply worded statement on Monday, Celtic’s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond accused Rodgers of creating unnecessary division.

“Despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative,” Desmond said.

“Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving. They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the board.”

Rodgers’ managerial CV includes spells at Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester before his first stint with Celtic from 2016 to 2019, during which he led the team to an unbeaten domestic season and consecutive trebles.

During his return, he maintained Celtic’s dominance by securing league titles in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, along with victories in both the Scottish Cup and the League Cup.