'Divisive and self-serving' Brendan Rodgers 'stoked division' at Celtic before resignation, shareholder claims

The Northern Ireland manager faced a slew of dramatic accusations from Dermot Desmond following his second mid-season exit from the SPL champions.

Rodgers had consistently insisted he would only leave before his three-year contract expired if he was “emptied”, and his departure on Monday led Desmond to deliver a withering statement in which he accused the 52-year-old of "stoking division" at Celtic Park.

Read more: Traditional Boxing Day football cut down to just one match as fans declare the 'game is gone'

Read more: Record-breaking ex-footballer dies suddenly aged 42 after rare cancer diagnosis

"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," Mr Desmond said.

"Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust."

The former Liverpool manager handed in his notice following a poor start to the season, leaving on the back of two consecutive league defeats, the latest by leaders Hearts which has left them eight points adrift.

The substandard results created a toxic environment for Rodgers' final few months in charge, as fans began to turn against key board members amid frustration with the club’s transfer approach and shock Champions League play-off defeat by Kairat Almaty.

The board admitted they failed to achieve their aims in the window, after Rodgers had called for attacking reinforcements, which arrived belatedly.

However, Desmond had a very different perspective as he expressed “deep disappointment” over recent events.

The Irishmen insisted that every player who was bought and sold during Rodgers’ tenure was "done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement”.

He added that “his later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue”.

Desmond added: "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.

"When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue.

"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.

"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."

Celtic announced Rodgers had “tendered his resignation” and left with “our thanks for the role he has played during a period of continued success”.

Former boss Martin O’Neill and ex-Celtic player Shaun Maloney have now been put in temporary charge.

Rodgers won 11 trophies with Celtic either side of a spell at Leicester and returned to Glasgow in the summer of 2023 with the intention to repair his relationship with fans and make progress in Europe.

He led Celtic to the Champions League knockout play-offs last season, where they lost narrowly to Bayern Munich, but his frustrations over transfer activity were apparent throughout the summer.

Celtic failed to replace main goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi when he was sold in January and then sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como in July after losing fellow winger Jota to a long-term injury.

The only attacking arrival before the Kairat tie was Shin Yamada, who had only scored two goals in 21 J-League games and has not featured for two months.

Celtic also sold Adam Idah to Swansea before the deadline while adding two left wingers and free agent striker Kelechi Iheanacho.

One of Rodgers’ final comments over his squad came in the wake of defeat by Dundee, when he said: “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.”