Coronavirus pandemic (2020)

Incidents, Events & Controversies | About Celtic

Details

aka: Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, Covid
Ref: Suspension of the football matches in season 2019/20 (began around March 2020)
Dates: 2020 Q1; football suspension began March 2020, Society lockdown began March 2020
End of restrictions: Aug 2021, but restrictions brought in again later and wound down in 2002H1

COVID-19 is an illness that can affect the lungs and airways, and is caused by a virus called coronavirus. The symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a cough, a high temperature and shortness of breath, and for the more vulnerable in society it can lead to a premature death.

The disease originated in China and spread fast across the entire world, leading to border closures, people forced to work from home, isolation of people and so on. Sadly many have died from the disease, RIP. A fuller discussion & analysis on coronavirus is left to a more appropriate forum.

Our condolences to all those who have lost family, friends and colleagues through those days. RIP.

Scottish football
Scotland was not immune, and cases began to come to light around February/March 2020. The UK government was sadly slow and not as proactive as others across the globe but fell into line and enacted stringent measures.

Sporting, political & social events were cancelled en mass across the globe, and inevitably this would hit Scottish football too. Even the Tokyo Olympics were postponed.

In March 2020, just a few days before the key third Celtic v Sevco league match of the season, all Scottish football matches were postponed. Admittedly at first the SFA were a mess and did not timely delay the matches but were going ahead, but as all else across Europe & even in the UK were postponing or cancelling their fixtures, the SFA followed suit. The general Scottish public agreed and there was pressure from football fans to cancel the games. The first Scottish victim of the pandemic occurred just a day or two after the football match suspension.

Celtic at this point were comfortably 13pts ahead in the league (albeit Sevco had a game in hand) with just nine league games left to play. Similarly in England, Liverpool also had a near impassable lead in their league title challenge (their first league title for 30 years). Some groups were trying to have the leagues annulled (mostly for their own ends, e.g. Sevco). Celtic were going for a history equalling nine-in-a-row league titles, and an unprecedented fourth treble in a row.

Concerns were growing for the survival of many smaller clubs as lost gate receipts were vital for their existence, and after the usual melodrama with the voting, the leagues were ended early with only Sevco & relegation threatened Hearts in the top tier against. It was the right thing to do, so that prize money could be distributed to help and so planning for next season could begin which could start afresh.

One Sevco fan called up Clyde one phone in so incensed at the Scottish League’s majority decision to end league’s early (Belgian league was first) that he was stated he was to boycott all Hampden events (which would include a Beyonce concert). We all laughed.

Sevco tried to make themselves relevant questioning processes at the SFA, and called for resignations, but they were all in the wrong, and resoundingly defeated in democratic votes across the structures.

As was practical, the SPFL ended the league campaign and so Celtic were crowned league champions & Hearts relegated. Celebrations were sadly limited to online social media, with Celtic achieving the record nine league titles in a row for 2019/20. An incredible achievement, followed up by completing the unbelievable quadruple-treble in delayed Scottish Cup final in Dec 2020.

However, the 2020/21 season was a disaster and saw Celtic surrender the league title without much of a fight, and the team collapsed, with manager Neil Lennon belatedly cut from his role as the manager. It was a season to forget both on the field as well as off the field.

The new season 2021/22 began and timed with the ending/loosening of restrictions, with a welcome return of full stadia for fans.

Society may have returned back to some kind of normality as priior to the shutdowns, but there was now a change in working life, for discussion beyond this summary.

To all those who lost loved ones during this time, our sincere condolences. RIP.

• 13 Mar 2020 – Football suspended in Scotland
• March 2020 – Ex-Celt Artur Boruc isolated due to contact with team mate who has symptoms.
• March 2020 – Lockdown in UK enacted
• March 2020 – Celtic FC: “We have already established a Football for Good Fund which is in the process of distributing £175,000 to vulnerable people affected by this crisis and will continue to do all we can to offer as much support as possible.”
• 28 Mar 2020 – Ex-Celt Andy Ritchie reveals he has the virus and his body is ‘crippled’. We wished him the best. (post-note: he came thru it, thankfully, and some reports on side saying tabloids over-egged it, which is quite despicable).
• 01 Apr 2020 – Celtic have, in a statement, ensured that the members of staff on furlough will still receive their full salary with the club making up the difference from the scheme.
• 06 Apr 2020 – Following the serious misrepresentation of Celtic FC, The Herald newspaper made the following apology to the Club.“On our front page promotion for a column on Saturday, we stated ‘Celtic cutting non-playing staff’s money shows how far football has lost its soul’. “We are happy to clarify that Celtic have not cut any non-playing staff’s money. All staff on the Government’s job retention scheme are having their salaries paid in full by Celtic. We apologise to Celtic for our error.”
• 06 Apr 2020 – Celtic make clear publicly they want the season’s remaining league matches to finish, pulling the rug from under the feet of those claiming Celtic are trying to close the season early as Celtic are on top at present. The Belgians have though already ended their league early and made the leading side the champions.
• April 2020 – Green Brigade group have delivered hundreds of NHS hampers to those in need. Much respect to them and all others who are also doing similar to help those in need in our community.
• April 2020 – UK PM ends up in intensive care due to COVID-19.
• April 2020 – Celtic League/Pro-14 rugby annul their competitions, nobody cares. Later Glasgow Rugby coach states the title should have been awarded correctly to Leinster, but Edinburgh disagree. Shows that not all was rosy there either.
• 07 Apr 2020 – Sevco first-team squad and the club’s executive directors have volunteered to take a reported 50 per cent salary deferral for the next three months as the club bids to come to terms with the lack of income due to the shutdown of football caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
• 09 Apr 2020 – Celtic announce the club’s Chief Executive, Manager, non-executive directors, executive team, and backroom staff, including Academy and Football Operation executives, have volunteered to take a significant reduction in salaries and make deferrals of a significant proportion of their earnings.
• 10 Apr 2020 – Ex-Celt Kenny Dalglish diagnosed with COVID-19 (but thankfully came thru it)
• 10 Apr 2020 – Scottish league teams meet to push for early termination of the season, one Championship club holding all up. Sevco & Hearts in top tier are against it with some laughable public statements from Sevco.
• 15 Apr 2020 – The 2019-20 Scottish Football League season is over after Dundee voted yes to an SPFL resolution after a lot of dramas and comical Sevco statements. It means Dundee United are declared Championship winners, with Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers champions of Leagues One and Two respectively. Celtic expected to be awarded league as can’t see matches going ahead even behind closed doors. Scottish Cup likely cancelled now.
• 16 Apr 2020 – Sevco declared they will consider “all legal options” open to them in order to challenge the SPFL’s controversial resolution vote and to ensure the 2019-20 Premiership season is played to a finish on the pitch. The Ibrox club have condemned the passing of the SPFL board’s proposal to end the campaign, describing it as “deeply flawed”. Sour grapes an attempt more to make themselves just look relevant.
• 19 Apr 2020 – Hibs chief Leeann Dempster has warned a meteor is heading towards Scottish football. It follows the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suggesting it will be difficult for football to even return behind closed doors anytime soon.
• 20 Apr 2020 – SPFL plan to crown Celtic champions is premature warns Uefa chief. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has insisted it is still too soon for top flight leagues to call time on their 2019-20 seasons, casting significant doubt on the SPFL’s plan to crown Celtic champions and relegate Hearts this month.
• 22 Apr 2020 – Uefa has opened the door to domestic league and cup competitions being cancelled “in special cases” due to the coronavirus pandemic. It paved the way in Scotland for Celtic to be declared champions and for Hearts to be relegated, pending potential reconstruction of the leagues in time for next season.
• 1 May 2020 – Sevco fans claim they found a smoking gun to show that Celtic former board member Dominic Keane had paid £50,000 in the days after the SPFL vote. Problem is that the gormless fools were taken in as a Celtic fan had made up a fake invoice showing that Dundee had been paid £50,000 in the days after the SPFL vote. Gormless-Gate as some called it, and all outwith of Ibrox laughed at them. They’d made a huge deal of this (see article below).
• May 2020 – Pandemonium in Scottish football, worst melodramas in sport. Sevco release a dossier of supposed questioning of decisions, only for it to be a damp squid. SPFL refute this all, and Celtic rightly keep their counsel on this one.
• May 2020 – Reconstruction voted against, meaning Hearts to be relegated. Hearts pushed for expansion.
• 12 May 2020 – Sevco/Hearts/ICT: another unanimous vote defeat in their attempt to force an independent inquiry into the SPFL’s handling of the resolution to bring the season in the lower leagues to an early conclusion.
  • Celtic: “This current crisis is the fault of no individual or organisation and it would be irrational to suggest otherwise. It is the duty of everyone committed to the future of our game to make the best of this awful situation, and not the worst.” Celtic FC
  • “Peter Lawwell defended the SPFL executive during the 42-club ‘Zoom’ conference and said that, after waiting four weeks for it, the Ibrox club’s dossier of evidence on alleged wrongdoing had been “embarrassing”. ” (The Times)
• 18 May 2020 – SPFL have ended the league campaign: Celtic crowned champions / Hearts relegated.
  Ladbrokes Premiership and SPFL Season 2019/20 curtailed as Premiership clubs reach unanimous agreement that top flight cannot be finished.
• Late May 2020 – German Bundesliga starts up
• 3 June 2020 – SPL & Sky TV agreed deal for all season ticket holders that for all games they can’t see due to lockdown etc next season they will be able to watch for ‘free’ on club media platforms.
• June 2020 – EPL games to start up
• 16 July 2020 – Celtic’s first game since lockdown: Nice 1-1 Celtic (Friendly)
• 20 July 2020 – Hearts & Partick Thistle fail in their attempts to reverse relegation.
• 26 July 2020 Celtic’s first home game since lockdown: Celtic 2-0 Ross County (Friendly) – played behind closed doors
• 2 Aug 2020 – Celtic finally play their first competitive game: Celtic v Hamilton league opener
• 8 Aug 202 – Aberdeen game v St Johnstone called off due to Covid-19. Two Aberdeen players tested positive for Covid-19 and a further 6 ordered to self-isolate after coming into close contact with one of them. Told they must play their match against St Johnstone on Saturday.
• 10 Aug 2020 – Bolingoli: broke strict quarantine rules with secret trip to Spain before playing against Kilmarnock without club knowledge and failed to quarantine on his return. The Scottish government said it could call a halt to Scottish football. Disaster and unbelievable irresponsible behaviour.
  FM Nicola Sturgeon pushed for postponement of Celtic & Aberdeen games, and the next two games for both sides were postponed! Shambles all because of selfishness from Boli. Celtic board & manager very furious in public statements, and the wider Celtic support is livid.
• 18 Aug 2020 – Celtic’s first game after two match postponement, and first European game since lockdown started.
• 12 Sep 2020 – Test matches – 300 fans are allowed to watch two games in Scotland this weekend: Ross County v Celtic, and the Aberdeen game: The club’s code of conduct says: No singing, chanting or shouting ; No standing ; No pies ; No throwing the ball back to players – must be sanitised first! It’s football… but not as we know it
• 22 Sep 2020 – After increasing lockdown measures in certain part of Scotland and the rest of the UK, greater measures were brought in across the UK, postponing plans to allow fans back to the grounds on a regular basis.
• 7 Oct 2020 – Celtic player Edouard diagnosed with Covid whilst away with France U21s. Isolated for own sake as is mandatory.
• 7 Oct 2020 – Scotland confirmed Kieran Tierney and Ryan Christie will have to self-isolate for 14 days after coming into contact with Stuart Armstrong who tested positive for COVID-19. Expected to miss match v Sevco. Kieran Tierney had returned a positive test for Coronavirus two months ago but was asymptomatic as he carried out the required ten-day isolation period.
• 10-12 Oct 2020 – Celtic players Bitton & Elhamed contracts COVID-19 putting them out of contention for big match v Sevco on 17 Oct 2020.
• 26 Oct 2020 – Two AC Milan players who played v Celtic in the Europa league give positive Covid results
• Nov 2020 – New transfer David Turnbull out due to contracting Covid on time with Scotland U21s.
• Dec 2020 – UK Govt authorises rollout release of Pfizer vaccine to begin.
• Dec 2020 – New strains in the UK, tougher lockdowns in force regionally, inc all of mainland Scotland. ‘R’ Rate all up and so on.
• Dec 2020 – In England, Man City v Everton game called off due to Covid cases. Calls begin for new shutdown of all football fixtures in England.
• Dec 2020 – Celtic win delayed Scottish Cup final, and complete the quadruple treble! Incredible achievement.
• Jan 2021 – Celtic players go on Dubai trip for winter getaway training. All under heavy criticism from even govt, but no rules were broken and all was checked and cleared.
• Jan 2021 – Celtic v Hibs: Celtic without at least 13 players plus three members of staff after a large section of the first-team squad were ordered into self-isolation. The instruction from health authorities comes after one Celtic player, confirmed as defender Christopher Jullien, tested positive for coronavirus following the club’s return from a mid-season training camp in Dubai. Gavin Strachan strictly in charge on the sidelines.The list of Celtic players #isolating are as followed: Barkas; Hazard; Ajer; Ralston; Brown; Soro; Turnbull; Connell; Ajeti; Laxalt; Ntcham; Griffiths; Edouard. Celtic drop 4pts out of 6 in these two matches.
• Jan 2021: Second player from Dubai trip gets Covid belatedly from that trip. All fans are up in arms, and the Chief Exec makes a public apology over the Dubai trip.
• Feb 2021: Vaccine being rolled out; Celtic lose their manager who resigns after disastrous season to date.
• May 2021: Celtic end season with no silverware and no fans still at matches. Various sports allowing limited number at games presently.
• May 2021: Sevco fans cause mass havoc in Glasgow City Centre despite told no mass gatherings.
• July 2021: Euros held across Europe, restricted attendances in Glasgow & elsewhere but full stadium allowed for the final in London.
• July 2021: Restrictions to be removed across Scotland & the rest of the UK.
• August 2021: Limited numbers and then full access for fans back to Celtic Park allowed. Full capacity crowds permitted at Celtic Park from, August 9 onwards.
• 15 Aug 2021: Celtic 3-2 Hearts (League Cup) – No Hearts away fans despite return of capacity crowds, due to the need for ‘red zones’ within the stadium, with some seats remaining closed off in order to maintain player and staff bubbles. Disappointing to hear as both home & away fans needed at games.
• 9 Sep 2021: Vaccination Passports: Law change requires sports fans attending large stadia to prove vaccination against Covid-19 Scottish sport fans heading to Hampden, Murrayfield and several other stadia around the country will have to show proof of their vaccination against COVID-19.
• December 2021: Booster jabs (third shot) is made available to all. Numbers affected by new strain of Omicron variance is causing concerns as new restrictions are brought in.
• March 2022: Restrictions wind down in England, and slowly in Scotland over the next month or so.

Coronavirus in Scotland: Scottish football season SUSPENDED until further notice

An emergency meeting of the SFA / SPFL Joint Response Group took place this morning
By Patrick McPartlin
Friday, 13th March 2020, 12:35 pm

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/coronavirus-scotland-scottish-football-season-suspended-until-further-notice-2449463
All domestic professional and grassroots football in Scotland has been suspended until further notice.

The decision was taken by the Scottish FA board following a meeting of the SFA / SPFL Joint Response Group on Friday morning.

A statement read: “The Joint Response Group can confirm the decision of the Scottish FA Board to suspend ALL domestic professional and grassroots football under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA until further notice.

“As a result, the SPFL has announced the postponement of this weekend’s and following midweek’s fixtures, starting with tonight’s Premiership match between Motherwell and Aberdeen and the Championship match between Queen of the South and Ayr United.

“The Scottish FA and SPFL will continue to liaise with governments and UEFA in relation to domestic, European and International fixtures in the coming days and more information will be communicated at the appropriate time.

“The Scottish FA Board made its decision in the interests of the health and safety of players, match officials, staff, supporters and the general public.”

SFA chief Ian Maxwell added: “Since the guidance outlined by governments last night we have been engaged in extensive dialogue to clarify the position and implications of that guidance for Scottish football.

“Today’s announcement is made in the interests of public health but, equally, the health and safety of players, match officials, and staff across the game. This is of paramount importance as the country enters the ‘delay’ phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is also why the Scottish FA is compelled to ensure that the suspension is cascaded through the non-professional and grassroots games until further notice.”

League chief Neil Doncaster said: “As everyone knows, this is a fast-moving and unprecedented situation for the entire country.

“We have been in intensive and detailed discussions since last night and have also been taking on board the experience of our counterparts in England and across Europe. As a result, the board of the SPFL has agreed this morning that all league fixtures this weekend and next midweek will be postponed until further notice.

“The health and safety of fans, players and officials is absolutely paramount. We have not yet had any confirmed cases of Coronavirus amongst players in Scotland, but, given the nature of this outbreak, it seems only a matter of time.

“We realise that many people will be bitterly disappointed, and we would obviously prefer to be in a position where we can continue as normal, but that’s neither realistic nor possible.”

UEFA has already postponed all of next week’s Europa League and Champions League fixtures, including Rangers’ trip to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen, while PFA Scotland has expressed concern at the prospect of games being played behind closed doors, insisting the welfare of players should come first.