Neil Lennon defended the decision to take his players to Dubai for winter training on the same day that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon actually questioned whether the trip was related to training or was just a R&R jolly for the players and management. This and a few other photographs released on social media on Sunday are the basis for this political intervention so it’s hoped that one the FM views the video below she’ll backtrack.
Or maybe not, the season she jumped in to postpone two Celtic games after Bolingoli’s breach of protocols – and that put us on the back foot right from very early in the season – yet her Government issued a quick-fire statement COMMENDING theRangers after TWO of their players broke the same protocols.
I can tell you this morning that despite being in dialogue with both my MP and MSP on the contrasting treatment dished out to the two Glasgow clubs no satisfactory explanation has been given. To be fair to my MSP he promised to get to the bottom of this for me and made a commitment to speak to the relevant minister and get an explanation for me. I’ll be chasing him up today!
Here’s the video Celtic TV released this evening showing the FM and everyone else who doubt what Celtic are up to in Dubai that the purpose is football related and the Celtic players are training very hard indeed!
And if she’s still in any doubt Nicola Sturgeon can look at the video that was released YESTERDAY ie before she made yet another Celtic related blunder this afternoon. The optics in Celtic travelling to Dubai don’t look good, few would argue with that. But the nonsense from a First Minister, who should have much more to worry her, has to be challenged and corrected. Brown and Lennon worked right through Christmas and New Year, arrived in Dubai and had a beer. Big deal. But that does not alter the purpose of the trip to Dubai and it’s amazing that we’re having to argue about this with Nicola Sturgeon, who incidentally was mute of the sectarian and racist abuse Celtic players suffered at the weekend outside Ibrox.
“We are sure the camp will be really important for us,” the Celtic manager told the official Celtic website. “It is the same format as previous years, obviously with one significant difference being the protocols in place for COVID, but we hope that we get the same lift from it and can go on another great run in the New Year as we did last season, that’s our real focus just now.
“As the club said yesterday, the camp was arranged some time ago, with the full consultation of the footballing authorities and given approval by the Scottish Government.
Of course, we understand that we are in very unique and difficult times and there are now even tougher restrictions in place at home, but the camp is risk assessed and arranged in conjunction with Scottish football’s Joint Response Group.
“We have put in place all the appropriate protocols and we have undertaken the camp as we see the sporting benefits from it and hope it can do for us what it has done in the past.
👊 Hard work continues 👊
⁰#CelticFC 🍀🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/y2Jn4vtcRQ— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 5, 2021
“From the first day of camp yesterday and into today, the boys have been working tremendously hard as we always do on a camp which has served us so well over recent seasons. And that will be the format for the rest of the week, very tough, but productive and important sessions to get us ready for the second half of the season.”
The BBC’s Chris McLaughlin confirmed on BBC Reporting Scotland this evening that despite the First Minister’s latest intervention into Celtic’s season, neither the SFA on Scottish football’s Joint Response Group are likely to take any action against Celtic relating to the trip to Dubai.
.@NicolaSturgeon sturgeon on Celtic trip to Dubai: we gave SFA advice over elite training camps but not up to us to sign off travel plans. Question is the purpose of them being there. I’ve seen photographs. There may be questions around bubbles. There are things to be looked at.
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) January 5, 2021
Neil Lennon also looked back at the game at the weekend when despite being the better side Celtic lost the Glasgow Derby and now require a couple of favours if they are to win the league for a tenth successive season.
“Despite the disappointment of Saturday, having dominated the game, but not getting a result we deserved, the players have responded well this week already and training has been fantastic with real intensity and verve.
“I can’t praise the players enough – from the guys who have been here every year, to the ones who are here with us for the first time – and we want to use the recent disappointment and this important week of training and put it into our matches starting with Hibs on Monday.
“We know we have not achieved the results we wanted in the first half of season and we are under no illusions that we face a really difficult task in the league, but everything we do here is geared up to try and get this back and go on a really good run,” Lennon said.
I have been very critical of footballers traveling round the world for all those competitions during this pandemic and there was no complaints whatsoever yet all hell breaks out when CELTIC go to Dubai for 5 days so what is the difference or is it put the boot into my club.