Chris Sutton blasts Celtic statement as 'utter embarrassment' as he declares former club 'shambles from top to bottom'

Chris Sutton has described his former club as “a shambles from top to bottom” after Celtic released a statement defending the first-team’s trip to Dubai in the wake of Christopher Jullien testing positive for Covid-19.

Former Celtic star and TV pundit Chris Sutton. Picture: SNS

As a result of the French defender contracting the virus, 13 members of the playing staff along with manager Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy have been forced into self-isolation.

This news brought further heat on the club after their trip to the Middle East had already been questioned by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who wondered whether it was an essential trip that should be made in the middle of a global pandemic with most of Scotland now back into full lockdown.

Celtic further defended their position even after Jullien’s positive test, writing in a statement released today: “The reality is that a case could well have occurred had the team remained in Scotland, as other cases have done in Scottish football and across UK sport in the past week.”

Sutton, who called the statement in question “an utter embarrassment”, posted a video of himself on Twitter where he railed against his old employers, telling them to take ownership of the situation.

He said: “What an absolute mess Celtic are in from top to bottom.

“The current statement regarding Christopher Jullien and contracting Covid was an utter embarrassment. The club need to take ownership of this one and they haven’t done.

“Talking about the trip to Dubai being for performance reasons, well Jullien is out for months so the only place he’ll be performing in Dubai is on the treatment table or down by the swimming pool.

“Whether you agree with the trip to Dubai or not, Jullien shouldn’t have been there. He absolutely shouldn’t have been there.

“The club saying in the statement that this case could’ve occurred in Scotland. OK, that’s fair enough saying that, but it could've occurred while they were in Dubai with a player who shouldn’t have been there.

“This whole sorry mess sums up Celtic’s season. It’s a shambles from top to bottom.

“Peter Lawwell and Neil Lennon have to take responsibility on this one. The club have to take ownership and they haven’t done. They need to sort it out and sort it out now.”

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