St Johnstone dispute "inaccurate" Neil Lennon claims on protocols

| 19 January 2021

The Celtic manager said his players were 'crammed in' when visiting McDiarmid Park earlier this season.

St Johnstone have described Neil Lennon's claims about the Perth club's coronavirus protocols as "inaccurate and unfounded".

The Celtic boss lashed out on Monday at critics of the Hoops' controversial trip to Dubai and also claimed the Parkhead outfit were being held to a higher standard than other clubs in Scotland.

He said: "We have been going to away grounds where we are cramped in like sardines.

"Boxing Day at Hamilton there was no social distancing there, there was no physical distancing. It is inconsistent. Protocols of different clubs are inconsistent.

"We go to St Johnstone, all crammed into a little dressing room. Inconsistent."

A statement on St Johnstone's official website read: "St Johnstone Football Club is extremely disappointed with the completely inaccurate and unfounded comments about our facilities made yesterday by Neil Lennon, the Celtic FC manager, in a media conference.

"We provide one of the largest away team changing areas in the league. Every team, including Celtic, is also provided with a large area for team meetings.

"We follow all protocols and guidance to ensure the health and safety of all players, staff and officials.

"When Celtic FC visited McDiarmid Park on October 4th for an SPFL Premiership match, we made sure their every request and requirement was met.

"Celtic viewed all of our facilities before the game and no issues were raised. No issues were raised with us after the game.

"All during this challenging period of the past nine months, our football club has maintained adherence to the highest of standards.

"Indeed, the SPFL delegates have commended us on our work during this campaign."

Accies responded to the accusation on Monday night with a statement in The Herald which read: "It is not our policy to comment on statements made by other clubs.

"We are content that we meet the most stringent standards of Covid protocols for all people visiting our stadium."