Fans Unhappy As Celtic Place Entire U18s Squad On Furlough Less Than A Week After Returning From Mega Money Dubai Trip

According to reports in the Daily Mail this morning, Celtic have placed the entire U18s squad on furlough.

The news comes less than a week after the club was heavily criticised for travelling to the Gulf coast in the midst of tightening coronavirus restrictions, a trip which resulted in 16 players and staff being placed into self-isolation after defender Christopher Jullien tested positive for the virus upon returning to Glasgow.

Peter Lawwell issued an apology to Celtic fans in a video released on the club’s own TV channel last night. That hasn’t exactly gone down a storm either.

MORE: 97k Views, Lawwell Video Reaction: “Horrendous interview. Trying to defend the indefensible”…”No mention of the January stock take on Lennon?”

The club’s PR is taking a real hit again this morning as it is reported that Celtic have made the decision to use the UK government retention scheme to furlough their Under 18 players in the wake of the expensive excursion abroad, which will see 80% of the player’s wages covered by the taxpayer.

According to the Daily Mail, a family member of an affected Celtic youngster questioned the club’s decision, saying: “People are struggling to understand why Celtic would go to Dubai during a pandemic and squander all that money on warm-weather training and then put young boys earning a fraction of the sum of the first-team players on the Government scheme. That doesn’t seem right.”

The Mail’s report goes on to say that the U18s Manager Darren O’Dea informed academy players that they would be furloughed during a series of Zoom calls. Other Premiership clubs are expected to follow suit after all professional football beneath the SPFL Championship was suspended by Joint Response Group on Monday. However, they may have more financial necessity to do so.

 

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

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