Burnley appoint former Basel boss Fabio Celestini as head coach
The Championship club named the 50-year-old Swiss four days after sacking Nicky Hayen. His first game is at home to Portsmouth on Saturday at 16:00 WAT.
By TuSport Desk · 28 Oct 2026, 20:50 WAT
Burnley have appointed Fabio Celestini as their new head coach, the club announced on Wednesday 28 October. The 50-year-old former Switzerland midfielder replaces Nicky Hayen, who was sacked four days earlier after a 4-1 defeat by Lincoln City.
Burnley were relegated from the Premier League last season and have struggled back in the Championship. BBC Sport says they have won only once in the league this season and sit 22nd in the table. The club has not said how long Celestini's contract runs.
Celestini's best-known spell was at FC Basel. He took over in October 2023 with the team near the bottom of the Swiss Super League and, within 18 months, won the league and the Swiss Cup in 2024-25. It was Basel's first league title in eight years, Burnley say.
He was most recently in charge of CSKA Moscow, where he won the Russian Super Cup before leaving by mutual agreement in May after 11 months. He has also coached Lausanne-Sport, whom he took up a division, Luzern, where he won the Swiss Cup, Lugano and Sion.
As a player, Celestini won 35 caps for Switzerland, went to Euro 2004 and spent ten years in France and Spain with clubs including Marseille, Levante and Getafe.
In the club statement, Celestini said he saw "a club with big potential" and that he knew the situation, having "lived it before". Diego López, named Burnley's chief football officer earlier this week, said the new coach had shown "extraordinary determination and conviction" to come to the club.
Celestini's first game in charge is Burnley v Portsmouth at Turf Moor on Saturday 31 October, kick-off 16:00 WAT (3pm UK time).
Sources: www.burnleyfootballclub.com · www.bbc.com · www.theguardian.com · www.straitstimes.com
