Celtic boss Neil Lennon is bristling at the “hypocritical” Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Government.
Lennon was responding to the latest Scottish football row. 5 Rangers players [Sky Sports] were implicated in a rule-breaking Covid breach last weekend. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged football to get “its house in order” and said she didn’t care whether it was “Celtic or Rangers” [Daily Record].
Although those latter comments were in reference to any assumed bias, Neil Lennon has taken it personally. The Celtic boss made all sorts of claims about travel arrangements and protocols by way of response.
Neil Lennon said [via Scottish Sun]:
“There just seemed to be a different tack when she was speaking about us.
“The fact she brought us into the answer sort of baffled me as well.
“We as a club have been treated differently from other clubs, and other parts of society.
“I said all I needed to say after Dubai. I said it smacked of hypocrisy and I am not changing that.”
Celtic manager Neil Lennon says Bhoys are “treated differently” by Nicola Sturgeon
Neil Lennon went on to speak about the safety measures being taken by the club, who have been described as “privileged” by politicians over recent months.
He continued:
“I think the talk of privilege is overplayed.
“The tests have been carried out at great expense by a lot of the clubs all season.
“For Ross County this weekend, we got tested on Friday. Then we travel up on five or six buses to stay at a hotel, which will probably be opened just for us.
“We will be in our own area, and then we will travel to the stadium in five buses. Then we will travel home on five buses.
“It is strange, but I’m not complaining about it.”
Sounds like Lennon is taking the Government on again
After Dubai, and the subsequent fall-out, Lennon was sort of proven right. Yes, the trip was an absolute disaster by every possible measure, but it wasn’t illegal. Or, certainly, it was sanctioned by the Government.
So when Celtic manager Neil Lennon went on his now-infamous outburst, he ended up sounding more than a little justified in his anger. That, again, still isn’t to say Dubai was a good idea.
However, I think this is taking what Sturgeon said way out of context. For the record, what Sturgeon was talking about was the idea she prefers one team over another [Daily Record]:
“The fact that is does is hugely frustrating to me and I don’t care whether it’s Celtic, Rangers or any other club.
“It’s not on, so please stop breaking the rules.”
That doesn’t suggest, to my eyes, that Sturgeon is bringing Celtic in needlessly to the Rangers debacle, but instead, Sturgeon is suggesting she just isn’t interested in football. Rather, she’s interested in curbing Coronavirus where possible.
Footballers are hugely influential in Scottish society. Scottish Football is a gigantic industry worth billions to the economy. Therefore, what players do and say holds weight and importance.
I think that was the point, here.
READ MORE: The idea that Celtic fans are being ripped off, rather than acting entitled, is the new orthodoxy
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