Deputy First Minister John Swinney has this evening accused Celtic of not setting “a particularly great example” by travelling to Dubai for a winter training camp.
The Quadruple Treble winners and 9-in-a-row Champions headed to Glasgow Airport shortly after the Glasgow Derby on Saturday afternoon at Ibrox for the flight to the United Arab Emirates.
On the day that Nicola Sturgeon re-called the Scottish Parliament to announce a return to a full lockdown for January amid a worsening Covid-19 crisis, Celtic have been heavily criticised for making their usual January trip to the sunshine. Movement outside the country is restricted to essential reasons only and the need for footballers to train in better weather is not seen as falling into that category by most people.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland. However it should eb noted that travellers returning from the UAE are current exempt from self-isolation protocols in Scotland. Celtic will be hoping that this doesn’t change and indeed that there is no outbreak of the virus while in Dubai.
Swinney believes that there is a duty to “demonstrate leadership” and while elite sports for now remain unaffected by the new restrictions that may not always be the case.
“I don’t think it’s a particularly great example to set,” Swinney said. “When we are asking members of the public to take on very, very significant restrictions on the way in which they live their lives, I think we have all got to demonstrate leadership on this particular question.”
The BBC’s Drivetime show on Radio Scotland seemed keen on preventing Celtic returning to Scotland after the trip to Dubai. “They will be allowed back in but they will have to follow all rules in the process and you know, frankly I don’t think it’s a very good idea to be doing that at this stage,” Swinney said.
The Scottish Government spokesperson, no doubt the same one who commended theRangers for their swift action in dealing with two of their players actually caught at a party in breach of the Covid regulations, has this evening issued a statement on The Celtic trip.
Celtic have immediately hit back in a series of tweets stating: “In response to the Scottish Government statement, the club has issued the following response:
‘The training camp was arranged a number of months ago & approved by all relevant footballing authorities & @scotgov through the Joint Response Group on 12th November 2020.
‘The team travelled prior to any new lockdown being in place, to a location exempt from travel restrictions. The camp, the same one as we have undertaken for a number of years has been fully risk assessed.
‘The team travelled prior to any new lockdown being in place, to a location exempt from travel restrictions. The camp, the same one as we have undertaken for a number of years has been fully risk assessed.”
In response to the Scottish Government statement, the club has issued the following response:
‘The training camp was arranged a number of months ago & approved by all relevant footballing authorities & @scotgov through the Joint Response Group on 12th November 2020.
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 4, 2021
If the club had not received Scottish Government approval then we would not have travelled.’
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 4, 2021
If the club had not received Scottish Government approval then we would not have travelled.’
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 4, 2021
Swinney and the rest make it up as they go along and try to affect peoples lives in the process.