CELTIC hero Lubomir Moravcik has revealed he was treated like “a stray dog” by Slovakian side FC Nitra following his sacking.
The former Hoops fans’ favourite, now 54, was axed from his joint role of head of youth development and director after the club were taken over by a Ukrainian consortium.
Moravcik, speaking in the Daily Record, said: “I received a letter from the new owners that I was no longer needed because of the coronavirus crisis.
“They threw me out on the street like a stray dog.
“Perhaps I’m just not cut out for football in Slovakia. I’ve got other businesses I can run here, but I wasn’t treated with any respect by Nitra.”
The skilful playmaker was an instant hit at Parkhead after being bought by Dr Jo Venglos for a bargain £300,000 at the age of 33 from German side Duisburg.
He helped the team win a treble under Martin O’Neill in season 2000/01 before finally leaving for Japan in 2002.
His double against Rangers in a remarkable 5-1 victory in 1998 launched his Celtic career and there was no looking back after that performance against Dick Advocaat’s shell-shocked outfit.
Moravcik, 54, won five major trophies in his spell in Scotland – two league titles, two League Cups and a Scottish Cup triumph in 2001.
He picked up a combined 80 caps for Czechoslovakia and Slovakia before retiring at hometown club FC Nitra.
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT…
CQN would like to thank our readers for their patience in the interruption to the launch of Alex Gordon’s latest Celtic book, ‘Fifty Flags’, which was due to be published in March.
Unfortunately, production of the tome, which thoroughly examines the glorious half-century of seasons in which the Parkhead men were crowned Scotland champions, came to an unfortunate halt due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
The support for ‘Fifty Flags’ has been overwhelming and author Alex said: “The response to the book has been utterly astonishing and I can only say how totally grateful I am to CQN readers for their backing. I can only hope it will be worth the wait.
“We are depending on the printers letting us know when the run will commence and we are in their hands at the moment. It will be published this year and CQN will keep the readers up to date. Thanks for your patience, folks. It’s much appreciated.
“Main thing, though, in these testing times is to take care and stay safe. See you all when we get the green light.”
