Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic ended after Sunday’s 3-1 Premiership defeat at Hearts left them eight points adrift of the Edinburgh side.
Former Hoops boss O’Neill and ex-Celtic player Shaun Maloney have been put in temporary charge at Parkhead, with the club saying that the process to appoint a permanent replacement was “underway”.
A statement from Celtic on Monday evening read: “Celtic Football Club can confirm that football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation. It has been accepted by the club and Brendan will leave his role with immediate effect.
“The club appreciates Brendan’s contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the club.
“Brendan leaves Celtic 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.
“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 Celtic first-team matters.”
Desmond blasts Rodgers in extraordinary statement
Shortly after confirming Rodgers’ exit, Celtic released a lengthy statement from Dermot Desmond in which the majority shareholder hit out at the former boss and accused him of contributing to a “toxic atmosphere”.
Desmond said: “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. However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.
“When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was done with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.”
Desmond said that Rodgers’ “public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue” and claimed that it was “untrue” that the club “had made no commitment to offer him a contract”.
“We met with Brendan regularly, including in December last year and at the start of the summer, with regular dialogue in between, to discuss and agree our collective strategy, priorities, and approach. Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement,” the statement continued.
Desmond claimed he had met Rodgers to discuss issues, before saying: “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.”
He added: “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.”
More to follow…
