Shay Given has issued an unreserved apology after using deeply inappropriate language to describe Wilfried Nancy’s short spell as Celtic manager during a live television broadcast.
The former Republic of Ireland and Newcastle United goalkeeper, who began his playing career at Celtic, was speaking on BBC’s Final Score on Saturday when he was asked to assess Nancy’s 33 days in charge at Parkhead. During his comments, Given used a term that referenced the Holocaust, an event in which around six million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
While reflecting on the situation, Given criticised Celtic’s decision to remove Martin O’Neill from his interim role at the time. He suggested O’Neill should have remained in charge during a demanding run of fixtures that included matches against Hearts, Roma and St Mirren. Given went on to describe that period as a complete disaster under Nancy, comments that prompted immediate concern.
Final Score presenter Jason Mohammad later addressed the issue on air, apologising to viewers for the inappropriate wording that had been used.
Shortly afterwards, Given released a statement on his personal X account expressing regret for his remarks. He admitted he had used a word without fully understanding its meaning and made clear he would never repeat it. He added that the incident highlighted gaps in his own knowledge and said he intended to learn from the mistake.
Given said he was genuinely ashamed and apologised without reservation to anyone who had been offended. He also confirmed that he would donate his fee from the programme to the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Nancy was dismissed after just eight matches as Celtic manager, having lost six of those games. Martin O’Neill has since returned for a second interim spell, marking his comeback with a commanding 4-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Dundee United at the weekend.