Hibernian manager Jack Ross has hit out at the political discussion around Celtic's controversial Dubai winter training camp as he claimed Scottish football was being made an "easy target" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Easter Road side will meet the Hoops at Celtic Park on Monday evening in the first game for Neil Lennon's men since they arrived back in Scotland from their mid-season trip to the Gulf state.
Leading Holyrood politicians criticised the Parkhead club for "not setting a particularly good example" by leaving and then re-entering the country as it was placed into even tougher coronavirus restrictions.
But Ross is unconcerned about the potential for any health issues surrounding the game, adding that football should not be used as a 'diversionary tactic'.
"I don’t think football as an industry or the people who work within it should ever be immune from criticism," he told Edinburgh Live.
"But it would appear at times that it’s a diversion or a distraction that’s easy to take.
"I will choose my words carefully. Given the situation we find ourselves in as a nation, some of the things that have gone on over the past 9-10 months, some of the mistakes that have been made and some of the changes to what we are doing on a daily basis at very short notice, not just at work but in life in terms of how it affects for example children and their education, their social interaction etc.
"I do find it puzzling at times that we give so much attention to some of the debate around football from a political level.
"That’s probably the most diplomatic and concise way of saying it. There are a lot of good people working in football through all levels of the game and all roles who do things professionally and respectfully and that sometimes seems to be forgotten."
"In my opinion, there are an awful lot of other things we could be discussing, debating and asking questions about other than some of the things that have been talked about over the past 3-4 days."
Ross added: "I’m not offering an opinion on Celtic being there or not, but over the last few months, there have been a lot of people left this country and come back into this country.
"Whether you want to isolate it as football, that’s the only thing I would say. It would be remiss not to believe that [a shutdown] could be a possibility. Hopefully the current actions will be enough to stabilise the situation until people become vaccinated.
"Hopefully those two things combined will enable us to be in a better place in the coming months."
