JAMBOS RAGE OVERCOVIDKO
the team. This is football.
“But it is how it is and I am happy to be at Celtic.”
Lennon didn’t need to do much of a sales job on the attacker.
A fresh start and a crack at the Champions League was a decent sweetener after he got a taste of the big stage with Basel.
Ajeti said: “There is no better place to play Champions League football than Celtic, with these fans. Unfortunately the supporters can’t watch us right now but as soon as they are back there will be nowhere better.
“The atmosphere in the stadium will be amazing and it would be great to play games in the Champions League.”
Ajeti was born in Kosovo but his Albanian family was forced to flee during the Balkan War and resettle in Switzerland. He has been capped by the Swiss but still cherishes his heritage – and knows all about Albanian president Ilir Meta’s love for the club.
Ajeti said: “Celtic is known all around the world, but especially where I originally come from.
“People from Kosovar Albania really support Celtic so I have known about Celtic since I was a small boy.
“They have a fan base there and the president of Albania is a huge fan, so we actually grew up knowing about the club. This is the perfect club for me.”
FROM BACK PAGE so, having invested heavily to ensure they comply with strict guidelines and costly twice-weekly testing.
Owner Ann Budge was locked in talks with the governing bodies last night in a bid to overturn their shock move but to no avail.
The Championship club highlighted the fact they took staff off furlough and signed new players with the agreed return to training date in mind.
The fall-out follows a summer of turmoil in which they lost a court battle with the SPFL and an SFA arbitration hearing against their relegation.
A club statement read: “Having received authority to return to training, we built our plans around the agreed date. Suffice to say that at a time when every football club in the land is managing its costs as tightly as possible, we have incurred significant ‘unnecessary’ costs.
“We have done nothing wrong and yet, once again, we are being disproportionately disadvantaged by a decision which has been described as ‘the fairest’.
“We should not forget that this situation has come about, not because of Covid-19, but because of behavioural issues, not by our employees but by those of other clubs.
“This delay reflects a lack of confidence that certain clubs will be able to comply and meet the required protocols. How can it possibly be fair that we should be penalised?
“When questioned in what way this was ‘the fairest way forward’, we were advised that some other clubs now wanted to return to training and it was deemed that by preventing them from doing so, without halting our training, would give us an unfair advantage.
“Our fans are naturally incensed by this action, especially given what has transpired over recent months. For the avoidance of doubt, everyone at the club is equally incensed.
“We are currently considering our options.”
The league campaign is still two months away but Gorgie boss Robbie Neilson had drawn up a pre-season schedule to prepare his players for their Scottish Cup semi-final against
Hibs – who will be three months into their season – at the end of October.
That has now been binned for at least the next 10 days as the JRG told all clubs outside the Premiership to put training on hold until August 24.
The JRG informed the Jambos of their decision at 4.30pm yesterday, half an hour before going public.
In a further twist, national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch claimed on radio last night the decision was entirely the football authorities’ – and admitted he thought Hearts would be fine to continue sessions.
But a JRG spokesman said: “The pause on all football training beneath Premiership and including all adult football over 18 was part of the agreement with Scottish government that culminated in today’s range of measures being announced and the majority of this week’s games going ahead as scheduled.”
The JRG say tightened measures are to ensure all club facilities, policies and procedures comply with current protocols and that club testing regimes meet the guidelines.
Hearts’ anger is further stoked by a concession to Glasgow City, who are preparing for a Champions League tie and will be visited for an audit to ensure they comply with the rules. Hearts haven’t been afforded that option.
A raft of penalties for players found to have breached Covid rules will be made public today.
ALBIAN AJETI ON NEW GERS SIGNING ITTEN