Scott Brown has criticised the SPFL for their scheduling of fixtures, insisting that it does not help Celtic as the sole Scottish European representatives.
The Parkhead side will play Motherwell three times in six days this week, with Brown perturbed at the decision making which led to the pile-up.
Wednesday's meeting between the teams was due to the postponement of an earlier league fixture due to both teams competing in the Betfred League Cup at the semi-final stage, but Brown believes an alternative date later in the season could have been allocated.
The Celtic captain was scathing, too, of Motherwell and their silence over coins that were thrown onto the Fir Park this week. The Lanarkshire club have been public about their anger at decisions they felt which went against them in both games this week between the side but Brown believes they have been guilty of turning a blind eye to poor behaviour from their own support.
And the grievances on both sides have inevitably been carried into each fixture.
“I don’t think it helps,” said Brown. “There is always going to be something going from one game to the other, whether that is a player rivalry or fans or whether it is the whole team.
“After winning a cup, you play the same team two and a half days later,” he said. “It shouldn’t really happen.
“I know the fixtures are building up but there is plenty of time after Christmas.
“If you look at our schedule all the way through December as well, for them to throw an extra game in for us? They are supposed to be helping us as well.
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“I’m not surprised by it. Because it’s the SPFL. There was no explanation given. If you asked Motherwell or ourselves, we would want some time off after a cup final. As the winners, you would like time to enjoy it - not to be thrown right in at the deep end again against the same opponent.
“We could play more games at the end of January or towards the end of the season, before the split. There will be plenty of time.
“You would think they would try and help us out with our Champions League game coming up next week, because it’s good for Scottish football if we do well.
“We don’t get a lot of time off in the summer. So if they could make a bit easier around the European fixtures, it would be much appreciated.”
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has also maintained that Celtic’s honesty is not in question after the accusations of diving that were levelled at them by Motherwell.
"I think we won the Fair Play award last year," said Rodgers.
"We have values here as a club as well as a team and that is something that we always go by.
"We have had two penalty decisions that have been the first two penalties of this season, of course, against the same opponent.
"You will always look at it from your perspective and I thought they were penalties.
"But this is a group of players who are super-honest and the referees have both been in good positions and gave both.
"We don't need validation from anyone. We like to win on the scoreboard abut we also like to do it by being the most sporting team and I think we showed that last year and also up until now."
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