News has just broken that Hibernian FC have consulted their players to determine whether or not they feel comfortable playing against Celtic tonight.
Celtic’s Christopher Jullien tested positive for COVID-19, meanwhile 13 players and three members of staff, including Neil Lennon, will miss tonight’s match due to having to self isolate.
It is understood that some Hibs players are believed to have reservations about participating, but it is unclear as yet whether any have refused to play. Should a significant number refuse then Hibs may not fulfil the fixture and that could have serious ramifications for the game in Scotland.
The 13 players and three staff members in isolation have all tested negative and are staying away from the match as a precaution, due to being deemed a close contact with Jullien. It is only the Frenchman who has returned a positive test result thus far, so it is not necessarily an extraordinary circumstance, given that we have seen similar instances of teams playing after one or more members of staff has tested positive. However, the anxiety likely stems from the furore over Celtic’s trip to Dubai.