DON’T HIT CLUBS FOR STUPIDITY OF PLAYERS
Berwick ‘incredibly frustrated’ by JRG call
THE prospect of a possible eight-match ban for Boli Bolingoli is bad news for Celtic, but only in that it might make it harder to get shot of him.
As far as his Celtic career is concerned, the handing down of a season-long ban would likely make no odds, such are the slim chances of ever seeing him in the hoops again.
The Scottish Football Association have charged Bolingoli, along with the eight Aberdeen players who also breached Covid-19 protocols with bringing the game into disrepute, and there can rarely have been a more open and shut case in the history of Scottish football.
The punishment is likely to be at the harsher end of the scale, given the gravity of the offence involved and the current political climate, with Bolingoli in particular set to be made an example of.
The Celtic manager Neil Lennon is also keen to make an example of the player, particularly in light of the strong comments he made regarding the standards he was setting for his players’ behaviour before finding out about Boli’s jolly, by shipping Bolingoli out the door. But it’s unclear how potential suitors like French club Amiens, who are reportedly lining up a loan bid for the fullback, will react to him carrying a lengthy ban along with him. Still, he could have been carrying much worse, given his relaxed attitude to public health restrictions.
The charges against the players all seem fair enough. Aberdeen have commendably got out of the gate early by concluding their own internal investigation and hammering those involved, with chairman Dave Cormack saying his
BERWICK RANGERS have branded ‘incredibly frustrating’ the decision to ban them from training.
The Lowland League hopefuls only resumed sessions with players last Saturday ahead of a likely return of the fifth-tier in October.
But the Shielfield Park outfit will now not be able to get back together until August 24 at the earliest after the intervention of the Scottish FA and SPFL’s Joint Response Group (JRG).
The JRG has been heavily criticised for ordering Hearts to stop training, with other Championship, League One and League Two sides also due to return in the coming days.
But, with non-Premiership teams now not able to gather until at least week on Monday after the Aberdeen eight and Celtic’s Boli Bolingoli breached lockdown rules, the Wee Gers have joined Hearts in voicing their exasperation.
A statement said: “Due to instances of Scottish teams failing to comply with the Scottish FA’s Covid-19 protocol, our training – which started last Saturday – has now been put on hold again until August 24.
“Understandably, we find this news incredibly frustrating, having put a lot of time, effort and financial resource into ensuring that training could go ahead within the strict – but fair – guidelines implemented.”