Celtic have received a barrage of criticism lately and the decision to furlough academy players has led to more negative comments
Celtic have not had to look far for criticism in recent weeks, and the onslaught of negative reaction shows no signs of slowing down.
Events on the pitch have led to unrest off it, with fans protesting outside the ground during a season that’s already seen Neil Lennon’s men eliminated from three competitions and fall 21 points behind rivals Rangers in the Premiership.
Off the pitch, the club’s decision to go ahead with their trip to Dubai amid a pandemic that’s seen every other club choose to stay home has been a PR disaster.
Thursday saw the club attract more negativity as the Scottish Daily Mail revealed that the club would be furloughing their entire under-18 squad.
Under the job retention scheme, 80% of the players’ wages will come from the Government and the remaining 20% will be paid by the club.
That decision has clearly not sat well with former Liverpool, Sheffield United and Everton midfielder Don Hutchison.
He shared a screenshot of the story on Twitter and said: “What a joke! I feel sorry for the youngsters trying to make their way into the pro game!! #Rediculous (sic).”
Chief executive Peter Lawwell issued an apology for the Dubai trip on Wednesday night, telling Celtic TV: “It’s been an extremely difficult few days, and on reflection, looking back and looking with hindsight and looking at the outcome of the trip, clearly it was a mistake, and for that I profoundly apologise to our supporters.”
Celtic return to league action on Saturday when they play host to Livingston, with Lennon’s side aiming to cut Rangers’ lead to 18 points before Steven Gerrard’s men face Motherwell on Sunday.
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