After six losses and one month, Wilfried Nancy’s brief and disastrous time as Celtic manager is over.
Just 33 days since he left Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer for Celtic, the club said Monday it “has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect.”
Paul Tisdale is also leaving as Celtic’s head of football operations, and there was no word on a new manager.
“A further update will be provided to supporters as soon as is practical,” the club added.
Nancy lost his first four games in charge, including a League Cup final, and six out of eight in total. His final outing was a 3-1 home loss to fierce Glasgow rival Rangers on Saturday in the Old Firm derby, the biggest match in Scottish soccer.
Nancy’s tenure ended up being slightly shorter than the interim stint of his predecessor Martin O’Neill, who had taken charge following the departure of Brendan Rodgers on Oct. 27. Nancy was appointed on Dec. 3.
O’Neill, a fan favorite who won three Scottish titles with Celtic in the early 2000s, later said he would have been happy to stay on.
Celtic next plays Dundee United on Saturday, starting a hectic run of eight games in 24 days.
That includes two crucial Europa League games against Italy’s Bologna and Dutch club Utrecht as Celtic, currently in the 24th and last qualifying spot, seeks to avoid an early exit from the competition.
Celtic also visits Hearts on Jan. 25 in what could be a decisive game in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Hearts is six points clear of Celtic and Rangers at the top of the standings as the Edinburgh club aims to become the first non-Old Firm team to win the title since Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in 1985.
