The latest trigger of the disaffected Scottish government in matters of football: A trip to Spain without subsequent quarantine of the Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli
Photo:Jeff Holmes / dpa
The Scottish government is threatening to interrupt the season of the first football league due to repeated violations of the Corona rules. Should an incident in football endanger public health, there would be "no choice but to see if we need a break in Scottish football," the government said. The new season of the Scottish Premiership has been running since August 1st without an audience and with strict safety regulations.
Auxh Scotland's head of government Nicola Sturgeon joined the debate again on Tuesday. Fans shouldn't necessarily assume that Aberdeen or Celtic would play in the coming week. In view of the violations, football in the country now sees the yellow card, "the next card will be red".
The trigger is the recent failure of Belgian Boli Bolingoli from permanent champions FC Celtic. The defender had secretly traveled to Spain, as reported by British media such as the Scottish "Sun" and "BBC". After that, he had not gone into isolation as prescribed and had played the 1-1 draw in Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Celtic only found out about his player's trip to Spain afterwards. The club announced an investigation and threatened the 25-year-old with consequences. Bolingoli publicly apologized for his "huge mistake" on Monday. Celtic wrote in a statement: "Under the given circumstances it is difficult to imagine more irresponsible behavior." All employees of the club were tested twice after the incident, all - including Bolingoli - were tested negative.
"We are currently holding talks with the club to determine the facts," said the government in a statement, as the British "Sun" first reported. The Scottish Justice Minister, Humza Yousaf, wrote on Twitter that Bolingoli's behavior was "totally unacceptable" and that after a series of incidents the government had little choice but to consider taking a break.
Steven Gerrard, coach of Celtic's local rivals Glasgow Rangers, was quoted on Sky Sport as saying, "It's a wake-up call and a strong message from the government. If mistakes continue, there is no doubt that the season will be abandoned. That I don't want anyone in the Rangers or anyone else. "
Bolingoli's team-mate Leigh Griffiths had previously been warned by Celtic for violating the distance rules at a party for his girlfriend. According to media reports, Griffiths had one more person at the ceremony than the government is currently allowing. A maximum of 15 people are allowed for outdoor gatherings. Griffith's girlfriend had posted pictures of the celebration on social media, which she later deleted.
On top of that, a game between Aberdeen FC and St. Johnstone FC in the Scottish Premiership was postponed last week because two Aberdeen professionals tested positive for the corona virus. Six other players had to go into quarantine for ten days because they had previously visited a bar with the two of them and neglected the safety distance. That too had caused a lot of trouble in Scotland and made the case a political issue.
Icon: The mirrorngo / dpa / sid / Reuters