“I’m absolutely livid, it’s a total betrayal of trust,” Neil Lennon has just said as he tries to pick up the pieces on Celtic’s coronavirus crisis caused by the actions of one stupid and selfish player, who has surely no chance ever of playing for the club again.
Watch and listen to an angry Neil Lennon speaking below…
Neil Lennon on Boli Bolingoli breaking the quarantine rules.
pic.twitter.com/gqgL7gWU2L— celticbible (@celticbible) August 11, 2020
The Celtic manager also confirmed that there has been no explanation at all from the Belgian as to why he flew over to Spain for an overnight stay after the club gave the players two days off following the 5-1 win over Hamilton on the opening day of the new Premiership season.
Speaking at what should have been the pre-match media conference ahead of tomorrow night’s visit to St Mirren, Lennon was absolutely livid with the full back, signed last summer from Rapid Vienna for £3million. That game against St Mirren as well as the home match against Aberdeen this weekend are both almost certainly going to be postponed shortly after the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated today that at the very least we should not be expecting either Celtic or Aberdeen (who had their own breach of the protocol rules) to play over the next week.
“There’s anger and disappointment from the squad. It’s just simply not good enough and it’s disrupted our plans,” Lennon said, as reported by Radio Clyde’s Alson Conroy. “The actions of this player are just baffling” the Celtic manager added before admitting the he believes that it could be “very difficult” for Bolingoli to go back into the Celtic dressing room after self isolating.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon says there’s been no explaination from Boli Bolingoli about why he flew to Spain for an overnight. “I’m absolutely livid, it’s a total betrayal of trust” pic.twitter.com/rNfHIYFIiL
— Alison Conroy (@AlisonGConroy) August 11, 2020
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Here is exactly what Neil Lennon said…
“We gave players a couple of days off after Hamilton. It had been a heavy week that week. And we made it clear to players they weren’t to leave Glasgow.
“Unbeknown to us until yesterday Bolingoli took a flight to Spain on Monday and then flew back in on the Tuesday. One day in Spain, no logic in that. And then decided to keep it to himself, didn’t tell anybody, trained all week, put everybody at risk in this bubble that we’ve created here.
“And then was part of the squad, played on Sunday, put everybody at risk – Kilmarnock players and staff. The story broke yesterday and then he came clean. We were absolutely livid, appalled.
“The club have been at the forefront of maintaining good practice, protocols all in place trying to get the game up and running. And we’ve been bitterly and sorely let down by the selfish actions of one individual.”
Asked about Bolingoli’s rational for making the Spanish sleepover trip the Celtic manager replied: “He didn’t have one and to be honest with you I didn’t really want to hear it. Because we made it on no uncertain terms that no-one could travel. Certainly not leave the country anyway.
“And he’s blatantly disregarded my instructions, my medical team’s instructions, the club’s instructions and put everything in jeopardy.
“It will be very difficult to imagine him being welcomed back into the dressing room in the future This is a rogue who has gone off tangent and has done something very very selfish. We have been completely oblivious to this. I’m absolutely livid it’s a total betrayal of our trust.”
