Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s majority shareholder, has launched a blistering attack on Brendan Rodgers, accusing the outgoing manager of betraying his trust. Mr Rodgers made a dramatic departure from the Parkhead set-up on Monday following a disastrous start to the campaign. Martin O’Neill returned to Parkhead in a managerial role alongside Sean Maloney.
Mr Rodgers has consistently targeted the board over the club’s summer deals, with furious supporters ramping up the pressure on the board and demanding it be put in charge. Fans have called for explanations from majority shareholder Mr Desmond, CEO Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell. Desmond has now spoken out, accusing supporters of being “misleading” while labeling Rodgers “toxic”.
The explosive statement read: “When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success.
“Unfortunately, his actions and communications in recent months do not reflect that trust.
“In June, Michael Nicholson and I informed Brendan that we would like to offer him a contract extension, reaffirming the club’s full support and long-term commitment to him.
“He said he needed to think about it and get back on track. But in the press conference afterwards, Brendan implied that the club had not committed to offering him a contract. That was completely untrue.”
“We have met with Brendan on a regular basis, including in December last year and at the beginning of the summer, to discuss and agree our overall strategy, priorities and approach.
“Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval and support. Any insinuation to the contrary is completely false.”
“His subsequent public statements regarding the transfer and management of the club came completely out of the blue.
“Prior to these statements, he had never expressed such concerns to me, Michael, or any member of the board or management team.
“In fact, he has the final say on all football matters and was consistently supported in the recruitment process, including record investments in players that he personally identified and approved.
“When his comments became public, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for more than three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the matter.”
“Despite ample opportunity, he could not identify a single instance in which the club interfered with or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public story.”
“Unfortunately, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading and self-serving. They have created a toxic atmosphere around the club and fueled hostility towards management and members of the board.”
“Some of the abuse directed at them and their families is completely unwarranted and unacceptable.
“Everyone on the board and management team has a deep passion for Celtic and always conduct themselves with professionalism, integrity and a shared desire to succeed.
“Our recent failures are not due to our structures or models, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.
“Celtic’s structure, with the manager overseeing the football, the chief executive managing operations and the board overseeing, has brought great success to the club for over 20 years.
“We all share the same ambition to continue Celtic’s success domestically and achieve further progress in Europe.
“Every pound the club generates will be reinvested towards those goals and the continued improvement of Celtic Football Club.
“Celtic is bigger than anyone else. Our focus now is to restore harmony, strengthen the squad and continue to build a club worthy of its values, traditions and supporters.”
