Celtic Football Club on Monday announced that manager Neil Lennon, assistant John Kennedy, and 13 first-team players are self-isolating after Christopher Jullien tested positive for coronavirus. Lennon and 13 players have been forced to self-isolate as they have been deemed 'close contacts'.
"Celtic Football Club confirmed today that Christopher Jullien has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating at home. We wish Christopher a speedy recovery," the club said in a statement.
"While all of the other members of the squad and backroom team have tested negative, we have been informed by the authorities that, having been deemed 'close contacts', Celtic manager Neil Lennon, assistant John Kennedy and 13 first-team players will be required to self-isolate on a precautionary basis as required by the current regulations," it added.
Despite the ongoing situation, the club has confirmed that their match against Hibernian will go ahead as planned. The match is slated to be played on Tuesday (local time). "The Club would like to thank the Scottish FA, JRG and the Scottish Government for their assistance in managing this case. Celtic will, of course, fulfill its fixture against Hibernian this evening," the club said.
Defending the decision to hold a training camp in Dubai, Celtic FC said they used the "same rigorous protocols" and it was for performance reasons.
"Clearly we are hugely disappointed, as we know our supporters will be. The contacts were identified during the period from Wednesday last week, primarily around flight and team coach travel, during which time Celtic applied the same rigorous protocols used for pre-season training camps, UEFA match travel and for all domestic match arrangements in Scotland," the statement read.
"These protocols have served us well in the past, as the Club has not had one positive case in our own 'bubble' until now. As we have already stated, Celtic's decision to travel to Dubai for a training camp was for performance reasons. Whilst we were in Dubai, the announcements made on January 4 significantly changed the COVID landscape. The reality is that a case could well have occurred had the team remained in Scotland, as other cases have done in Scottish football and across UK sport in the past week," it added.
The club also said that they have done everything to ensure they have in place the "very best procedures and protocols". "From the outset of the pandemic, Celtic has worked closely with the Scottish Government and Scottish football and we will continue to do so," the club said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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