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Celtic Football Club have announced that Brendan Rodgers has resigned as manager, bringing an abrupt end to his second spell in charge at Parkhead.
In a statement released by the club, majority shareholder Dermot Desmond confirmed Rodgers’ departure and expressed both gratitude and frustration over how events had unfolded in recent months.
“I want to acknowledge Brendan’s contribution across his two spells as Manager, during which he helped deliver success that forms part of the club’s modern history,” Desmond said. “However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.”
Desmond said Rodgers’ return to Celtic two years ago was made “with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success.” But he claimed that the manager’s “conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.”
According to Desmond, both he and chief executive Michael Nicholson had offered Rodgers a contract extension in June as a sign of the club’s “full backing and long-term commitment.”
“He said he would need to think about it and revert. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue,” Desmond stated.
The Celtic owner also rejected suggestions that Rodgers had been undermined in transfer dealings.
“Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement. Any insinuation otherwise is absolutely false,” he said.
Desmond added that Rodgers’ later comments about transfers and club operations had “come entirely out of the blue” and were inconsistent with internal discussions.
“At no point prior to those remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael, or any member of the Board or executive team. In reality, he was given final say over all football matters and was consistently backed in the recruitment process, including record investment in players he personally identified and approved.”
Desmond revealed that he met Rodgers for more than three hours at the manager’s home in Scotland to address the dispute directly.
“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,” he said.
The statement went on to accuse Rodgers of behaviour that had “contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club.”
“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,” Desmond said. “Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.”
Desmond defended the club’s leadership and structure, emphasising that “every member of the Board and executive team is deeply passionate about Celtic and acts at all times with professionalism, integrity, and a shared desire for success.”
He added:
“What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.”
Desmond reaffirmed the club’s commitment to its existing framework, which he said “has served the club with great success for more than two decades.”
“Celtic’s structure, where the manager oversees football, the Chief Executive manages operations, and the Board provides oversight, has served the club with great success for more than two decades,” he said. “We all share the same ambition: to ensure Celtic’s continued success domestically and to achieve further progress in Europe.”
He concluded by stressing unity and renewal as Celtic move forward without Rodgers.
“Celtic is greater than any one person. Our focus now is on restoring harmony, strengthening the squad, and continuing to build a club worthy of its values, traditions, and supporters.”
The club is expected to begin the search for a new manager immediately.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / jorono, Pixabay / NewUnion_org
