Celtic general manager Peter Lawwell has apologized for the club’s decision to travel to Dubai for a training camp during a global pandemic.
The defending Scottish Premiership champions spent nearly a week in a lucrative warm-weather training camp in Gulf State. 13 players and manager Neil Lennon were forced to self-isolate after defender Christopher Jullien later tested positive for COVID-19.
The club have come under heavy criticism for traveling abroad in the current climate, with Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioning the decision. Lawwell admitted it was a “mistake” but called the criticism of the club’s values and integrity “unfair”.
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“These few days have been extremely difficult,” Lawwell told the Celtic club’s official website. “Thinking back and looking back and looking back and looking at the outcome of the trip, it was clearly a mistake and for that I deeply apologize to our supporters.
“We left from here and the reasoning for the camp was really the best of intentions. Things did not go as planned and the result is very unfortunate. ”
Lawwell explained that Celtic made sure the same travel protocols were in place as previously implemented for their Europa League trips this season and so far have not given a positive COVID test.
“If you look back over the past four years, going to camp in Dubai has been extremely successful, and the decisions we have made are entirely in the best interests of the team and the best interests of the club,” added the manager. general of Celtic.
“What we planned to do was take them to these facilities again, after a very busy schedule in November and December, which in the past has proven to be a big performance benefit after January – it was therefore the reason.
“We decided to leave in November and it is clear that the landscape has changed considerably, especially as we approach our departure to Dubai in terms of infection rates and the like. But at the time, the infection rate in Dubai was low and it was still a part of it. of the green corridor for travel to the UK and Scotland. “
