MARTIN Hannan’s article might acknowledge the reputational disaster arising from Celtic’s jolly to the sunshine of Dubai, but it seems that the consequence to another member club will involve more than the transient difficulty of a negative public image and presents a challenge which may yet prove to be be existential (Dubai trip is a reputational disaster for Celtic, January 12).
The context of the further demise of Partick Thistle is set within the events of the last few days and the unaccountable and bizarre world of Scottish professional football.
The football authorities announce that Celtic did not technically break any rules, but any reasonable person can see that they certainly bent them as far as possible. Parading off for a jolly in the sun during a pandemic while we are all urged to stay at home reeks of the entitlement and arrogance that permeates every pore of that club and their sibling.
READ MORE: Martin Hannan: The reputation of Celtic has been tarnished by Dubai Covid scandal
Queen of the South invite guests to one of their matches in a clear breach of SFA Covid protocols and do so without any apparent sanction.
Those two clubs will continue to play football in the immediate future.
Meanwhile, my club Partick Thistle had a relegation imposed upon them in highly contentious circumstances with a game in hand over Queen of the South, who then access £350,000 more than we do from the government’s Emergency Sports Package.
My club has followed – to the letter, as far as I can see – all Covid regulations. I am told we carry out testing, presumably at our own expense, when at League One level there is no requirement to do so.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says there will be a travel rule review after Celtic row
The non-administration at Hampden Park then takes robust action to sort out these overt breaches of Covid rules and the extreme stretching of the privileged rules for elite sports and goes and suspends football for Partick Thistle and their peers for a minimum of three weeks. The guilty go free and the innocent are punished. It seems strange indeed to call Alloa Athletic or Arbroath elite sports clubs, yet they do receive a government grant set at a full-time club’s revenues and expenditures. Thistle meanwhile received less than a third of this amount and are now also prevented from earning any income at all through the suspension of the league they were wrongly condemned to in the first place.
I do not see this sham of a season being finished. I have grave concerns surrounding the future of my club. I cannot for the life of me see how we can continue as a full-time professional club. Where is our government bail-out and the support of the SPFL and SFA, not even a word of consideration or empathy?
Gutted and furious.
Tam Hosie
Glasgow
AS I sit here reading a plethora of articles about the “reputational disaster” for Celtic Football Club, I am gobsmacked at the absolute disregard, disrespect and complete ignorance shown by the Scottish Football Association, the SPFL, and Celtic Football Club not only to Celtic fans, but towards all football fans in Scotland.
According to your article “Travel rule review” by Heather Graham (January 12), “The rule, which came into effect from 4am yesterday, also applies retrospectively for passengers who have travelled to Scotland from Dubai since January 3. They have to self-isolate for 10 days from when they arrived back to Scotland”. At least one player played in the football match on Monday night, albeit the person tested negative. However, the rule does not exclude whether you have tested negative, it states you must self-isolate.
It was announced prior to the start of the game that Hibernian were required to fulfill their “contractual obligations” or forfeit the points. There was even a commitment that in the event any Hibernian player contracted the Covid-19 virus, the scheduled cup match would be rearranged for a later date.
Can you actually believe the gall of the SFA, SPFL and Celtic FC towards Hibernian FC, and every football fan in Scotland, that the match must be played and to hell with the consequences of who did or didn’t get the virus?
The SFA will do absolutely nothing to penalise Celtic FC, just as they did nothing against a player for an alleged racist remark, and the never-ending list of inaction by their (Non) Compliance Officer.
The football fans in Scotland deserve much better than this!
Time to clear out the SFA, (the Self-serving Football Association), and the SPFL (Special Perks For Laziness) and replace them with knowledgeable, neutral-minded individuals with no vested interest in a specific club.
As per normal, nothing will be done.
Jim Todd
Cumbernauld
AMONG a number of pleasures in taking The National is reading Martin Hannan’s normally balanced and diplomatic approach to reporting the minefield of Scottish football. However, his article yesterday on Celtic’s behaviour around the Dubai trip is disappointing.
He suggests that their trip, now with Covid overtones, could cost them their 10th title when in fact the uncommitted efforts of their players during this season, which is now at an advanced stage, have already set a pattern, irrespective of Covid.
In his last paragraph he suggests that the trip could have been avoided if someone in the Scottish Government had simply lifted the phone. My understanding is that it is the SFA who are responsible for such disciplinary matters, and it is a major omission on Martin’s part to not even mention the SFA.
RG Clark
Gorebridge
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