Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has broken the club’s silence on photos circulating online that showed players and staff socialising in Dubai.
Poolside pictures of senior figures such as Neil Lennon and Scott Brown relaxing ahead of the week’s training were shared on social media.
Some fans were left annoyed, especially in the wake of the defeat to Rangers.
Celtic’s entire trip to the UAE has been called into question. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon even addressed the issue through the week.
Kennedy has defended the club today though. The coach has put forward a timeline of events that paints a fuller picture of the training camp.
His pre-Hibernian press conference was broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland this afternoon (14:26).
Kennedy said: “From our perspective, in terms of the football side it was a really good trip.
“A lot of work was done, which would have been difficult here considering the weather and the circumstances here.
“We made the decision two months ago. We looked into the options, at that time things were looking better, there was light at the end of the tunnel. They were talking about fans coming back to stadiums.
“At that time we went through all the right channels, with the Government and the Joint Response Group and made the decision back then. Things change very quickly. In terms of our bubble, we’ve stayed in our bubble. We did that in Dubai and had a really good training week.”
On those Celtic Dubai photos
Journalists would continue to probe the senior Celtic coach on it all. They asked Kennedy whether or not the club had any regrets about flying across the world.
Kennedy countered: “I think you guys back here got a snapshot of one or two pictures that went around from local people or people on holiday. It paints a picture which is probably a bit false.
“In the whole week, we had a lot of work put into the trip itself. We had a lot people spending a lot of time and effort travelling out there before we arrived to make sure everything was ready for us.
“In terms of the protocols in Dubai, the hotel worked very hard with us in terms of giving us our own areas. We pretty much left in our own entrance and exits.”
Celtic clearly feel justified.
Ultimately a line appears to have been drawn under the whole debacle now. The Scottish FA are not investigating the issue. The Scottish Government have made their point in public.
Kennedy also confirmed the entire squad had been tested on their return to Scotland last night. Those results will be due over the next 24 hours.
With cases spiking in Scotland and in Dubai, hopefully players and staff get the all-clear.
In other news, David Turnbull has won an award for his Celtic form.
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