GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Wilfried Nancy left his role as coach of Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer to take charge of Scottish giant Celtic on Wednesday.
The 48-year-old Frenchman coached Crew for three years, leading the team to the MLS Cup and the Leagues Cup and being named coach of the year in MLS in 2024.
Celtic is defending its title in the Scottish Premiership and, after a slow start to the season, is in second place — two points behind Hearts.
The team has won the last four top-flight titles and is on 55 overall, the same as fierce Glasgow rival Rangers.
Nancy described Celtic as “one of the world’s proper football clubs” because of its “real atmosphere and heart and soul, real high standards and real demands, which I am ready for.”
“I know the history, I know the values of Celtic and I know what is expected of me on this journey," he said. “I know what Celtic means to so many people and my No. 1 aim will be simple — to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking, winning football team they can be so proud of.”
Nancy will begin his tenure on Thursday.
Since the departure of Brendan Rodgers on Oct. 27, Martin O'Neill has been in temporary charge of the team.
Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond said O'Neill had done a “wonderful job” to "bring us through these last few weeks positively."
“I will always hold Martin in such high regard for what he has done for Celtic and for what he is as a man — a man of such professionalism and integrity and someone who undoubtedly will always have the best interests of Celtic in his heart.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“A dazzling delight for all ages” Read moreRodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Join us for Bay Area Youth Ballet's magical holiday tradition as The Nutcracker comes to lif… Read moreThe Nutcracker Presented By Bay Area Youth Ballet
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
anna kuhre said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.