Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager on Monday, the club announced, after the Scottish giants’ lacklustre start to the season.

The club said former boss Martin O’Neill and former player Shaun Maloney would take charge of the team until a permanent successor is appointed.

Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic ended after Sunday’s 3-1 Scottish Premiership defeat at Hearts left them eight points adrift of the Edinburgh side.

“Football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation” and “will leave his role with immediate effect”, Celtic said in a statement.

“Brendan leaves 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.”

The club added that the search for a replacement was already underway.

“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,” it said.

Rodgers, 52, returned for a second spell at Celtic Park in 2023, winning successive titles, to add to his league triumphs from 2017 and 2018.

He previously managed Swansea, Liverpool and Leicester and arrived at Celtic for the second time in June 2023 to succeed Ange Postecoglou.

The Northern Irishman had been at Celtic between May 2016 and February 2019, completing successive league and cup trebles.

His first season in charge saw Celtic finish with a record 106 points and become the first Scottish side to complete a top-flight season undefeated since 1899.

Rodgers continued Celtic’s domestic supremacy by winning league titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and also lifted the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

But clouds were gathering over the club this season with Celtic knocked out of the Champions League by Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty.

‘Honda Civic’

Rodgers had appeared at odds with his employers over their summer transfer window policy.

After Celtic’s first defeat at Dundee in 37 years this month, he said the team had “lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals”.

“And 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.”

Celtic’s main shareholder Dermot Desmond hit back, saying Rodgers’ criticism had come “entirely out of the blue”.

“At no point prior to those remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael (Nicholson, chief executive), or any member of the board or executive team,” Desmond said.

“In reality, 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.”

Gennaro Gattuso was named Italy’s new coach on Sunday and will be tasked with helping the Azzurri qualify for the 2026 World Cup after replacing Luciano Spalletti.

The 47-year-old was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side and won 73 caps for the national team as a player.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) said Gattuso would be presented to the media on Thursday.

“Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football,” said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina.

“The blue shirt is like a second skin for him. His motivation, his professionalism and his experience will be essential.

“(He is) Aware of the importance of the objective we want to achieve. I thank him for the total dedication with which he has accepted this challenge.”

Italy international Guglielmo Vicario insists he’ll always be grateful to ex-Italy coach Luciano Spalletti: ‘He was our leader, in good and bad times.’

Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario discussed Spalletti’s Italy exit in an interview with La Repubblica.

The 66-year-old was sacked after a 3-0 loss against Norway last week, but remained in charge for one more game against Moldova, which the Azzurri won 2-0.

LEIPZIG, GERMANY – JUNE 24: Mattia Zaccagni of Italy celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal to equalise during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Croatia and Italy at Football Stadium Leipzig on June 24, 2024 in Leipzig, Germany.

“He’s the coach who gave me my senior debut. I’m the only goalkeeper who has managed to play four games since Donnarumma came along. I’ll always be grateful to him,” said Vicario.

“I haven’t written to him yet. I want to send him a message that truly reflects what I feel, then have a proper conversation, as people who shared a life journey through sport.

“He was our leader, in good and bad times. He fully embraced the role, and he gave us a lot. We’ll start over, with the same awareness of what he left us, both in footballing and moral terms.”

The Azzurri were disappointing in last summer’s Euros, facing elimination in the round of 16 against Switzerland. The improvements over the last year have been limited. Despite convincing wins over France and Belgium, the Azzurri suffered a brutal blow in their World Cup qualification race with a defeat against their main group rival, Norway.

“We don’t make excuses, because when you lose big games, there’s no point looking for them. You have to take responsibility,” admitted Vicario.

Former England football captain and global fashion icon David Beckham was knighted on Friday for his services to sport and charity, with The Who singer Roger Daltrey and actor Gary Oldman also receiving the honour.

Beckham, who played 115 times for England as well as for some of the world’s most high-profile clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid, will now be known as “sir” and his wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham.

The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 — a lesser award in Britain’s honours system.

Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry.

“Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour,” Beckham said in a statement issued to the Press Association.

“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment,” he added.

Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, will also take the title of sir having been recognised for his services to charity and music in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours list.

The 81-year-old singer has been a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000, holding fundraising concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades.

– Daltrey ‘dream’ –

“It’s kind of weird, but I am deeply honoured to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honour is really for all unsung heroes,” the “My Generation” singer told the Press Association.

“It’s a dream come true for me, but it’s especially a dream because the charity means so much,” he added.

Oldman, who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 2017’s “Darkest Hour”, also received a knighthood for his services to drama.

Mikey Moore has set his sights on winning the European Championships with England's Under-19s after Tottenham's Europa League triumph.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Moore played a role as Spurs ended 17 years of hurt by winning the Europa League in Bilbao, making five appearances throughout the competition and scoring in the 3-0 group stage win over Elfsborg. He did not play in the knockout rounds but earned a medal for his contributions.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Now, the winger, who is at the Under-19 European Championships with England, is targeting a second trophy of a hugely successful campaign. England have won the tournament twice before, in 2017 and 2022, and Moore hopes they can complete a delayed hat-trick this summer.

WHAT MOORE SAID

Moore told the PA, via the Independent: “It was a top experience [winning the Europa League] – some of the best times of my life on that Wednesday night.

“Hopefully going on to win another medal and another trophy with these boys here would be a brilliant feeling, and experience for everyone.

“There’s some top players. We think we can go on and hopefully win the tournament. It’s been a good little build-up but excited to get into the games now.”

WHAT NEXT?

England play Norway on Saturday in their first game of the tournament. Moore will be out to make a significant impression.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is determined to harness Jude Bellingham’s “fire” to his side’s advantage rather than the Real Madrid star intimidating team-mates or raging at referees.

Tuchel suffered his first defeat in four games as England boss on Tuesday when Senegal became the first African side to ever beat the Three Lions in a 3-1 friendly win.

Bellingham thought he had made it 2-2 late on at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground only for the goal to be controversially disallowed before Senegal broke away for a third in stoppage time.

Tuchel had to restrain Bellingham’s protests at the decision at full-time and said it is a balancing act to retain the 21-year-old’s fight without it bubbling over.

“He has a certain something and brings an edge. It’s needed if we want to achieve big things,” Tuchel told talkSPORT.

“It needs to be channelled towards the opponent and towards our goal, and not to intimidate team-mates or be aggressive towards team-mates or referees but always on winning.

He has the fire — I don’t want to dim that, he should play with that as that’s his strength.

“But the fire comes also with some attribute that can intimidate teammates. Sometimes you see the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game.

“If he can channel this in the right way he has something that we need and that edge is hard to find.”

Tuchel, who won the Champions League at Chelsea and league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, was hired with the task of ending England’s wait for a major tournament victory since 1966.

Under Gareth Southgate they reached the final of each of the last two Euros, plus a quarter-final and semi-final of the past two World Cups.

Nottingham Forest has formally approached UEFA for clarification on Crystal Palace’s eligibility to participate in the 2025–26 Europa League, citing potential breaches of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

Crystal Palace earned a historic spot in European competition after winning the FA Cup, but their qualification may be in jeopardy due to their ties with Eagle Football, an ownership group led by American businessman John Textor.

Eagle Football holds a 43% stake in Palace and a 77% share in French club Lyon, who have also qualified for next season’s Europa League.

UEFA regulations prohibit any individual or entity from holding majority voting rights in two clubs competing in the same European competition to prevent potential conflicts of interest or collusion.

Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League and secured a Europa Conference League play-off place, could be promoted to the Europa League if Palace are deemed ineligible.

According to BBC Sport sources, Forest submitted their concerns to UEFA ahead of the March 1 deadline introduced to improve oversight of club ownership structures. The previous deadline of June 1 had reportedly been too late to ensure proper vetting.

Crystal Palace have maintained that they operate entirely independently of Lyon, despite the shared ownership structure. The club assert that there has been no overlap in employees, staff, strategy or commercial dealings between the two clubs.

Palace’s defence rests on the merit of their FA Cup win—beating Manchester City 1–0 last month—and their claim that no functional or operational ties exist with Lyon.

Forest themselves previously faced a similar issue due to their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, also controlling Olympiakos and Rio Ave. However, he diluted his stake in Forest to comply with UEFA’s rules ahead of the deadline.

UEFA and Crystal Palace have both declined to comment on the matter. A decision will need to be made before European qualifiers begin in July.

The Eagles won the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history, but Uefa must decide if they have breached its multi-club ownership rules.

Uefa's final ruling will centre on American businessman John Textor, owner of Eagle Football - which holds a 43% stake in Palace.

Eagle Football also owns a 77% stake in French side Lyon, who - like Palace - have qualified for next season's Europa League.

Uefa's rules state "no individual or legal entity" can hold a majority of shareholder voting rights at two clubs in the same European tournament.

If a ruling is made against Palace and Lyon, given the French side finished sixth in Ligue 1 they get priority over Palace, who ended 12th in the Premier League.

Forest finished seventh in the Premier League, earning a Europa Conference League play-off spot, but stand to gain if Palace are unable to compete in Europe and could be lifted to the Europa League.

Sources have told BBC Sport they have issued their reservations to Uefa.

Uefa's regulations are in place to prevent collusion between clubs. Palace's argument is their historic FA Cup win - beating Manchester City 1-0 last month - and European qualification was an achievement accomplished entirely on their own merit.

The club have insisted they are an entity which operates entirely independently, not within the structures of a multi-club model.

Palace also say there has been no employee, backroom staff or coach sharing with Lyon, no dialogue, no collaborative strategy, no combined partnerships, sponsorships or commercial deals and no collective scouting, analysis or software collaborations.

Forest have avoided this issue after owner Evangelos Marinakis diluted his control of the club.

The Greek businessman also controls Olympiakos, as well as Portuguese side Rio Ave and, at the time, Forest and Olympiakos were both on course to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Forest complied with the rules after Uefa changed the date to 1 March for clubs to highlight potential issues in ownership structures as it was becoming unmanageable to go through the checks required from the previous deadline of 1 June.

At that point Palace had not acted despite qualification through the FA Cup being a possibility.

The first and second qualification rounds of the Europa League and Conference League are in July.

BBC Sport contacted Uefa and Palace who declined to comment.