London (AFP) – Celtic have confirmed that one of their players has tested positive for coronavirus after the club returned from a controversial training camp in Dubai.
The Scottish Premiership champions’ squad were tested upon their return to Glasgow after spending six days in the United Arab Emirates, a trip which was questioned by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
“Celtic today confirmed that one player has recorded a positive test for Covid-19. Clearly the player will receive all our care and full support,” Celtic said in a statement.
“All other members of our squad, management team and backroom squad are negative.”
Scotland is under a nationwide lockdown to try and ease soaring infection rates of the virus with only essential travel permitted.
Elite sports teams are though allowed to travel for matches and training.
Earlier this week, Sturgeon queried the need for a mid-season training camp given the restrictions and said pictures emerging from the trip raised doubts over whether social distancing guidelines were being adhered to.
Celtic insisted that they had received Scottish government approval for the trip to go ahead.
The club’s assistant manager John Kennedy admitted on Saturday that a picture of manager Neil Lennon and captain Scott Brown on sun loungers with pints of beer next to them painted a “bleak picture”.
“If there’s any error in that, we try to eradicate that or fix it, and that’s what we did. The picture maybe paints a bleak picture but we have got to move on from that,” said Kennedy.
“The government and the SFA have said there is not really a case to answer, we have submitted what we need to, and they are content with that, so we just have to concentrate on moving forward now.”
Celtic face Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Monday.
