Celtic forced to respond after immense fan pressure

Celtic have been forced to release an official statement after immense pressure from the fans following the Ryan Christie news.

Yesterday’s Ryan Christie news was a huge blow to Celtic. The midfielder was ordered to spend 14 days in isolation after it was adjudged that he was in close contact with Scotland teammate Stuart Armstrong, after the Southampton star returned a positive test while away on international duty.

Of course, this means that Christie would end up missing the upcoming Glasgow Derby, a game where Celtic already look set to be without James Forrest and Odsonne Edouard.

Naturally, on the back of this week’s events, the thought process behind organising international games in the midst of a global pandemic has been brought into question. It is natural that players traveling from all over the world to play for their national teams has increased the risk of exposure to the disease.

Celtic have come out of this worse than most after Odsonne Edouard also tested positive after turning up at Clarefontaine for France under-21 duty. And as a result, the Hoops are clearly angry and have demanded that the club call back their players.

The pressure from the supporters has been so immense that the club was even forced to make an official statement last night. The statement read:

"“The Club will always do everything possible to protect the health and wellbeing of our players, but the release of players for international matches is governed by the FIFA regulations.”"

It is to be seen what happens with Ryan Christie if he does not develop any symptoms and returns a negative test over the next few days. One thing is clear though and that is that it is not safe for players to turn up for international duty at this point of time. It is a different matter to remain in a sporting bubble and play games for their clubs, and completely different to play with international teammates turning up from clubs in various parts of the world.