"They are pigs, all of them, that's the way it is," the 34-year-old had told Swedish newspaper Kvallsposten following his team's 3-2 first-leg defeat in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Wiland also accused Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths of behaving "like a child, tugging shirts all the time", his remarks causing a storm of controversy among fans of the Scottish club.
"My comment was a remark about their style of play ... it was an unfortunate wording and it sounds more offensive in English than it is in Swedish," Wiland told Reuters a day after the game. "To play like pigs means playing dirty (in Swedish). It was a physical encounter which was something we expected.
"When we got into tackles they were quick to complain," said Wiland of a match that featured six yellow cards.
A Celtic spokesman told Reuters that his club had no immediate comment.
The two clubs meet again in Malmo on Tuesday to decide who qualifies for the group stages.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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