“WTF IS THAT CHANT? – IF THIS CONTINUES, NO CLUB WILL EVER RESPECT RANGERS AGAIN” – Wilfried Nancy’s only post-match interview stuns fans
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy left fans, pundits, and officials stunned after delivering an explosive post-match interview following Celtic’s 3–1 home defeat to Rangers at Celtic Park, choosing to focus less on tactics or individual errors and more on what he described as a “game-changing chant” from the visiting supporters.
The Old Firm clash, already charged with intensity, swung decisively in Rangers’ favour in the second half. After H.J. Yang had given Celtic the lead in the 19th minute, Rangers responded with authority through Youssef Chermiti, who struck twice in the 50th and 59th minutes, before M. Moore sealed the win in the 71st minute.
However, Nancy insisted the turning point came not from football, but from the stands.
Speaking in what turned out to be his only post-match interview, the Celtic boss said the referee should have stopped the game immediately after a chant from the Rangers end that followed Chermiti’s first equaliser.
“What was that chant?” Nancy asked bluntly.
“WTF was that chant? If this continues, no club will ever respect Rangers again. This is not atmosphere, this is not rivalry. This changed the game.”
Nancy claimed the chant unsettled his players, disrupted concentration, and shifted momentum at a crucial moment when Celtic were still in control despite pressure. According to the manager, the referee had a responsibility to intervene.
“At this level, you protect the players and the game,” he said. “When something crosses the line, you stop play. That did not happen, and from that moment, everything changed.”
The comments immediately sparked controversy, especially given Celtic’s defensive collapse and a disastrous performance from the goalkeeper. The Celtic shot-stopper was at fault for both the opening equaliser and the third goal, errors that many fans and analysts believe decided the match far more than anything said in the stands.
Social media reaction was swift and divided. Some Celtic supporters accused Nancy of deflecting blame from obvious on-pitch problems.
One fan wrote:
“Blame the keeper. Blame the tactics. Don’t blame chants.”
Others, however, backed their manager, insisting the chant was unacceptable and calling on the SPFL and SFA to review the incident.
Rangers fans, unsurprisingly, reacted with fury, branding Nancy’s remarks “embarrassing excuses” and mocking the suggestion that crowd noise—not poor defending—cost Celtic the game.
Despite the backlash, Nancy stood firm, insisting his comments were about football standards, not rivalry.
“Results come and go,” he concluded. “But respect for the game must stay. If we ignore these moments, we all lose.”
As the fallout continues, attention now turns to whether the authorities will address Nancy’s claims—or whether the debate will simply deepen the already volatile divide between Scotland’s two biggest clubs
