Celtic confirm Neil Lennon and 13 players to self-isolate after Christopher Jullien tests positive for Covid-19 on return from Dubai

Celtic are due to host Hibs at Celtic Park this evening. Pic: SNS

The instruction from health authorities comes after one Celtic player, confirmed on Monday as defender Christopher Jullien, tested positive for coronavirus following the club’s return from the much-maligned mid-season training camp on Friday.

Head coach Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy have also been deemed close contacts and will miss the Scottish Premiership clash against Hibs at Celtic Park this evening, along with the 13 players who have been affected.

The disruption follows on from the club receiving widespread criticism from their own fans for making the trip in the aftermath of the Old Firm defeat to Rangers at Ibrox on January 2, while questions have also been raised by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over the essential nature of the excursion.

Celtic, however, have defended their decision to travel to the United Arab Emirates, stating that they “applied the same rigorous protocols used for pre-season training camps, UEFA match travel and for all domestic match arrangements in Scotland.”

The club also suggested that they could have suffered a Covid-19 outbreak had they remained on home soil.

A club statement read: “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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"Celtic has done everything it can to ensure we 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.”

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