As the fallout from yesterday rolls on, it’s important to highlight an SFA report from November that could be a worrying sign of what’s to come for Celtic post-Dubai.
The Hoops yesterday confirmed a positive case in their camp. It wasn’t revealed who the player was. Therefore, there is no certainty amongst those on the outside as to whether this player went to Dubai.
However, if he did, we can expect some further grim news regarding the close contact rule.
There’s unfortunately already a precedent set for this. The SFA reported back in November that three players had tested positive during a Scotland under-21 international camp. They stated then that a meeting took place with the Scottish Government’s Covid experts.
It was deemed from that meeting that a further 10 members of their camp were categorised as close contacts. This was due to their seating arrangements on aircrafts and buses. The government protocols state that close contacts are deemed as those sitting two rows either side of the positive case.
SFA report suggests Celtic would have several close contacts from Dubai trip
Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph stated last night that the government were in contact with Celtic. This was to advise them on the “next steps”. This sounds eerily similar to the meeting the SFA had with government Covid experts.
Therefore, when the result of this is known, don’t be surprised if several close contacts are found. That is of course if the player in question did indeed go to Dubai. There is absolutely no confirmation of that at the moment.
But the chances are that will be the case. And if it is, you can bet your house on there being several other casualties. That is of course unless the player in question was sitting with nobody around him for two rows either side. As if that’s ever going to be the case.
For those deemed close contacts, all we can do is pray they don’t pick up the virus for real. We have to remember the human element to this. We all wish the player in question a speedy recovery, and that any close contacts can serve their isolation period without any deterioration.
Those who are deemed as close contacts must isolate for 10 days. From a footballing standpoint, that would keep them out of games against Hibernian and a double-header vs Livingston. In other words, it’s nowhere near ideal.
We’ll see what today brings. Something tells me it’s going to be a frantic one.
In other news, John Kennedy has dropped two worrying hints regarding this Celtic star.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
