Celtic fans have been left livid as Sky Sports footage emerges involving Peter Lawwell and the controversial trip all the way to Dubai.
The Scottish Premiership outfit were criticised for ignoring rising cases of Covid in the Middle East so that they could have a break but also do some warm weather training.
They set off on their ways after their 1-0 defeat against Rangers at the beginning off the month, now they are regretting the decision to fly out.
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Even more so after defender Christopher Jullien had tested positive for the virus when returning back to Scotland.
Pictures went viral across social media, showing the players and staff drinking alcohol which only left fans supporters currently in a second lockdown angry and the trip caused Nicola Sturgeon to question if the club were abusing their elite athlete exemption.
A track and trace assessment found that 13 players and three staff including manager Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy came into close contact of the player, so have no choice but to self-isolate.
Lawwell finally spoke out on the trip and expressed his regret on it as well as talking us through the thought process behind it all.
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‘Looking with hindsight, looking at the outcome of the trip, clearly it was a mistake and for that I profoundly apologise to our supporters,’ he said.
‘We left here and the rationale for the camp was with the very best of intentions.
‘Things haven’t gone the way we wanted to, and the outcome is clearly very regrettable.’ Asked why the trip went ahead in the first place, Lawwell continued: ‘If you look back over the last four years, going to the camp in Dubai has been extremely successful.
‘The decisions we made are entirely for the best interest of the team and the best interest of the club.
‘What we planned to do was take them to these facilities again – which are world class – after a very, very hectic programme in November and December, which has in the past proven to be of great benefit in terms of performance after January.
‘To take them there, to give them the training, and come back and get to that performance level again. So that was the rationale.’ Outlining the timetable of events, Lawwell continued: ‘In terms of the facts surrounding the trip, we decided way back in November to go, and were permitted to go.
‘Clearly, the landscape has changed significantly, particularly in the run-up to us going to Dubai in terms of the infection rate.
‘But at the time, Dubai’s infection rate was low. It was still part of the green corridor for UK and Scottish travel to the point that we left.’ Lawwell is adamant Celtic maintained the same standards to guard against Covid infection on the trip as they had done since training was allowed to resume last summer.
‘We were deploying the same protocols that we have done since the bubble started in June,’ he said.
‘And we haven’t had one positive up until this stage in terms of using our own protocols through international travel – flights.
‘We’ve been into the Europa League and I think we’ve had six international flights.
‘We’d a training camp in the summer (in France) plus the protocols we were operating in Scotland.
‘The protocols were robust, they’re proven, and that’s what we put in place for the Dubai trip.
‘So all the precautions and all the preparation we had were proven and were as they have been employed – very successfully – here in Scotland.
‘Overall, the decision to go was for the right reasons – it was performance- and of course the outcome of that has been really disappointing.’
Celtic fans aren’t just livid as the Sky Sports footage emerges but also with the club for putting the under 18s squad on the government’s furlough scheme.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, with the under 18s boss Darren O’Dea informing the club’s academy stars of the news on Wednesday morning via Zoom.
It now means that the government will pay 80 per cent of the side’s salary, while Celtic will continue to compensate the remaining 20 per cent.
Relatives of the youngsters are said to have been left angry at this decision with one parent who hasn’t been named quoted as saying it “doesn’t seem right.”
Celtic also placed some non-playing staff on furlough back in April 2020, with first-team squad members, manager Neil Lennon, backroom staff and executives also agreeing to “significant reductions” in salaries and deferring “a significant proportion of their earnings.”
This will reportedly last a total of three weeks although the scheme is expected for a review.
Celtic may not be the only team to do this however as other Scottish Premiership clubs are expected to follow suit.
As mentioned, Celtic fans were left livid as the Sky Sports / Celtic TV footage emerges, see what was said below…
@cumbernauldcelt: The message should read “sorry we’ve fucked up. Myself, the board and the manager resign with immediate effect”
@DylanIsOnFire: Bring in a new manager. Leave your position. Do a sexy dance. Give me my season ticket half price and a fish supper, a couple pickles and a bottle of irn bru and I’ll forgive you
@matthewduff67: sack the board
@c_mcgg: Not good enough and embarrassing
@garydg7: Unimpressed. That did nothing to appease thoughts of the management being totally out of touch with us, the fans. It sounded more like a “sorry we got caught” type of apology and to then infer that covid has hit us most is beyond patronising. Very poor.
@CelticGossip: It had to be dragged out of you but better late than never. Now sack the managerial team and resign. HH
@ptoland01: Pointless PR; Lawell has taken our club as far as he can; time to move him on. Aside from the Dubai embarrassment, he chose to completely ignore the calamitous season we are going through
@JoeBhoy1987: So why has the covid crisis affected our club more than others? What specifically are our players suffering that other clubs aren’t? Or is it the wheels have came off due to the arrogance and incompetence of our board and management team and that’s just a convenient excuse?
@eddieohanlon1: It shouldn’t take hindsight to realise flying across the globe during a global pandemic was wrong and completely irresponsible. A complete failure of leadership
@mickally67: He’s took us as far as he can, time to ship out ! Time for new direction,ideas and investment. Still doesn’t apologise for the horrendous state and decline of the football club. Charlatan
@TamMcKenna1888: Roll up.. Roll up Season tickets on sale shortly.
@__mrc67: “How do we move forward?”, “Stick together” That’s what a millionaire CEO brings to the table
@BrianKelly1967: This season has been nothing but a mitigating disaster from the start, one balls up after another, someone should have realised that the club left themselves open to criticism if things went pear shaped on that trip and as it turned out it happened.
@whitisthecraic: I can’t even bear to click on the video to watch it. So disappointed as a supporter of my Club. I feel like my Club don’t care about my support. That’s just wrong.
@Gastro_Celtic: Were the facilities World Class…? Were they…? Aye…?
@celticghirl0106: Very disappointing from PL… Had to be pished to give a statement and even then it’s full of excuses… Too little too late for us supporters !
@Celtusthechief: Well that just added to the embarrassment of the whole fiasco. Not renewing my season ticket until there is a complete clean out at board and management level. For the sake of the club GO NOW.
@michael3hewitt: He has no clue how the majority of the fans feel, so out of touch with the real problems. Same drivel we get from lennon after games
@queenmachine67: “I’m sorry” – “But this is why I was right….” Apologising for something he has zero remorse for. They still don’t see what they done as wrong. Only apologising because you feel it will make the situation better. A fake, forced apology has just made it worse.
Almost 30 yrs later and nothing has changed 😂
— Clint Moscow (@ClintMoscow) January 13, 2021
— David Docherty (@daviddocherty) January 13, 2021
— jamie (@Lord_Bitton67) January 13, 2021
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