Celtic flop Boli Bolingoli has finally broken his silence over his Covid breach which saw First Minister Nicola Sturgeon threaten to shut down Scottish football and admitted he made a 'mistake'. Bolingoli made front page headlines in August 2020 when he went on a trip to Spain and failed to quarantine after returning and didn't inform the Parkhead club where he had been. He played the next game against Kilmarnock before his actions came to light.
It led to then-Hoops manager Neil Lennon blasting his 'appalling behaviour' and the First Minister threatened to pause the football season and attacked 'privileged footballers' following his breach of the Covid rules. Bolingoli was effectively frozen out after being handed a three-match ban and was farmed out to Basaksehir on loan in Turkey and then signed for Russian club Ufa, before the deal was scrapped because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Celtic chairman Ian Bankier later claimed Celtic were 'astonishingly treated' by the Scottish Government over the incident. The 27-year-old finally returned to his homeland this summer with Mechelen and has finally spoken about his regret.
Bolingoli said: "I received criticism from Neil Lennon and also from Nicola Sturgeon for what happened. That was a mistake, just as everyone can make mistakes. Celtic eventually turned the page on that chapter and so have I. I wanted to improve further in Scotland. I played a strong first season at Celtic and we won the league.
"But in football, there are highs and lows. I suffered a knee injury that delayed my development a bit and then came the incident. After that I was supposed to go to FC Ufa. I had just signed the deal, but had not actually been to the club because we were on a training camp in Turkey.
"Then I heard about the situation in Russia and Ukraine and there was no point going to Russia after that. There were only a few months left of the season at Celtic and they couldn't register me anyway. So I returned to Belgium because I thought I would be better to train there and stay closer to my family.
"My priority was a transfer to a club where I could play. Whether it was in Belgium or elsewhere, it didn't matter. Coming to Mechelen was purely because it was the best sporting choice for me.I wanted to play more matches again.
"I wasn't fit enough when I came to Mechelen, but for now it's going well. I feel better. I have more and more confidence on the pitch. I am very happy to be here. I can't complain about my career. Every career step I have taken has brought me great memories.”
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