BHOYS ARE IN SPOTLIGHT
Celtic could face charges over Dubai trip as lower leagues forced to take break
CELTIC could f ace disciplinary action over alleged rule breaches on their calamitous mid-season trip to Dubai — with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon again calling for an S FA investigation.
The club yesterday confirmed that defender Christopher Jullien tested positive for Covid after returning from the UAE, while 13 players plus boss Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy missed last night’s 1-1 draw with Hibernian at Parkhead because they had to selfisolate as close contacts.
The SFA remain satisfied there is no need to look into Celtic’s decision to jet to the Middle East because it was approved by the Scottish government. But SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell confirmed their compliance officer will investigate alleged breaches of protocol in Dubai.
The news came as the SFA announced all football below the Championship will shut down for three weeks because of the worsening pandemic. Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy insisted lower league clubs have been ‘martyred’ by the SFA in a bid to placate government anger over Celic’s trip.
The pressure is mounting on the Scottish champions, with Celtic assistant John Kennedy’ sad mission they were guilty of‘ minor slipups’ in protocol in Dubai doing little to de fuse the situation.
SFA chief Maxwell said: ‘The trip was Government approved. There’s nothing to see there. In terms of any alleged breaches that happened during their trip, we have a well-used disciplinary process. We have a compliance officer who looks at all sorts of alleged breaches over all sorts of alleged incidents. Everything we are made aware of goes through that process and it would be foolish to say we have not been made aware of issues potentially with Celtic being abroad. If there are things that need to be looked at then that’s what we will do. ‘
Yesterday, the Scotland’s First Minister was again urging the football authorities to look into whether the trip was ‘essential’.
‘As in any situation like this, it’s up to the football authorities to decide whether further action is necessary ,’ she said.
‘It’s for them to consider that carefully. But this whole episode should underline how serious the situation we’re in right now is. And why everyone, including football, should be erring on the side of caution.
‘Fans of other clubs feel very strongly that the whole of football should not pay the price for the actions of any one club, whoever they may be. And I agree with that. But a situation like this does make it essential for us to review the rules, including those around travel exemptions.
‘I hope Celtic will themselves reflect seriously on all of this. I think the football authorities should look at whether the trip was essential. Elite sport – and this is not all just about football – have privileges because we want our sports people to do well and be able to train. But those privileges can’t be abused.’
Maxwell denied feeling pressurised by Holyrood. ‘I don’t feel under pressure about it at all,’ he said. ‘The First Minister is right – any potential breach of a rule or a potential Covid breach is up to the governing body. It’s not for the government to be involved in. They don’t micro- manage Scottish football.’
Celtic bullishly claimed one of their players could have caught Covid even i f the team had remained in Scotland, adding in a statement: ‘Celtic has done everything it can to ensure we have in place the very best procedures and protocols. From the outset of the pandemic, Celtic has worked closely with the Scottish Government and Scottish football and we wi l l continue to do so.’
But Maxwell believes Celtic will reassess their decision.
‘Technically, under the rules, yes they were allowed to go,’ he said. ‘Should they have gone? That’s something everyone has an opinion on and I’m sure Celtic are asking themselves that very question. (Travelling abroad) adds a level of risk. It probably makes sense that clubs don’t give themselves that r i sk at this point in ti me.’
Maxwell accepted that Scotland’s footballers also breached Covid regulations abroad in their celebrations after beating Serbia on penalties in October to qualify for Euro 2020. But he added: ‘The difference is, the perception element of all of this is that Celtic shouldn’t have gone given where they are (19 points behind Rangers) in the league. There are a whole variety of reasons why people are saying they shouldn’t have gone.
‘We were fortunate we won a game that meant a huge amount to the country. We did something that technically wasn’t in line with the protocols but it got three million views on social media and everyone loved it. It’s the perception that is a big challenge around this (Celtic incident). But ... it’s not something with hindsight we should be doing or encourag ing . ’
Maxwell rejected claims that yesterday’s shutdown at lower league level was done to placate political anger anger. He said: ‘I can guarantee this decision is not linked to Celtic. It was talked about long before anything else that happened at the weekend.’