Hibs chief Ben Kensell dismisses hotel whistleblower as 'troublemaker from the blue side of Glasgow'

Hibs chief executive Ben Kensell today suggested a whistleblower who accused some of the Easter Road side’s players and staff of ignoring Covid-19 guidelines while staying in an Inverness hotel ahead of their postponed match against Ross County was ‘seeking to create headlines’.

Ben Kensell said he 'trusts the staff and players to carry out what’s required, to mitigate the spread of Covid" following the whistleblower's claims

It was reported on Saturday that a Glasgow-based businessman had contacted the SPFL claiming that members of the Hibs squad were not wearing facemasks in public spaces in the Kingsmills Hotel but Kensell insisted he was confident in the club’s approach to Covid-19 restrictions.

“Having investigated the claims, I trust our staff and players to carry out what’s required, to mitigate the spread of Covid. They’re aware of their responsibilities," he said on Wednesday.

“Firstly, I’d look at the source of the information and it unsurprisingly comes from the blue side of Glasgow, which is a point of speculation in itself,” he added.

“What I don’t want to do is focus on a comment from someone who is just looking to create trouble. We’re talking about a much wider and larger issue that’s affecting the whole country, and we’ve got one individual who just wants to create headlines. I find it disappointing.

"Ultimately, I'm trying to deal with a real-life situation that is affecting everyone; affecting our squad. It’s decimated our squad.

"I’m only interested in the welfare of our players, our staff and our fans; I’m not interested in answering questions that are just speculation, or anything of that nature.

"There are much, much bigger challenges here to deal with at HIbs than what one individual says in a hotel.”

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