Former Dunedin player enjoying freedom in Sweden
LIFE has remained remarkably normal for Joel Stevens over the past six months.
Or as close to normal as has been possible.
Games went on hold for a while, but everything else carried on for the Dunedin football player who is living and playing in Varnamo, Sweden.
He moved there at the start of the year, allowing his partner to return home. That followed a stint in Dunedin where he returned to play a starring role for Southern United.
Sweden has remained largely open during the Covid19 pandemic, taking what has been described as a ‘‘herd immunity’’ approach. Cafes and bars stayed open, as did schools.
The football season was put on hold — although it started with no crowds three weeks ago — but his IFK Varnamo team was able to train right through.
‘‘It was pretty odd for me,’’ Stevens (25) said.
‘‘I was obviously talking to my parents and friends back home. ‘‘For you guys it was complete lockdown; here it was normal life.
‘‘You could still go to cafes and things like that.
‘‘I don’t think the schools shut down, universities shut down, they just worked from home.
‘‘Everyone was still working. Nothing really changed.’’
While there had been some safety concerns — notably his insurance not covering him in the event of a pandemic — he said it was nice to retain the freedom, although it had messed with his plans to find a job alongside football.
While he was a fulltime professional, he said most players were able to work around football as well. However, jobs had been harder to come by.
He had hoped to travel around while there too, which was now not going to happen. Likewise, he was unsure if he would be able to visit home for Christmas.
His season was due to finish in early December now and if the twoweek arrival quarantine remained in place, it would not give him time to complete the trip.
He was enjoying being back in Sweden, though. His team was good, as was his coach — which had been a problem in his last venture to the country.
Varnamo was playing two games a week at the moment, having won its first four, although it lost its last two.
Stevens said it was a higher level of football than in New Zealand.
The teams passed well and the game management was of a higher standard, while there were no easy games.
He was unsure of his longterm plan, although he hoped to stay on if he was able to secure another contract next year.
LONDON: An own goal by Michael Keane proved the difference as Tottenham Hotspur beat visitor Everton 10 in a dour clash yesterday to move up to eighth in the standings and hand manager Jose Mourinho a 200th English Premier League win.
Defeat would have dropped Spurs below the visitor into the bottom half of the table, but they won fairly comfortably to stretch their unbeaten league run versus Everton to 15 games.
Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso thought he had scored his first premier league goal for Tottenham in the 23rd minute, but his shot on the turn took a decisive deflection off Keane to leave keeper Jordan Pickford with no chance.
Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris was hardly tested, although he was involved in the night’s flashpoint, having a furious row with teammate Son Heungmin as the players walked off at halftime.
Tottenham has 48 points from 33 games, one behind Arsenal and nine adrift of fourthplaced Chelsea. Everton’s first loss since the resumption of the season left it 11th.
Mourinho questioned his side’s desire after a lacklustre 31 defeat by Sheffield United last week and there was nothing wrong with its application yesterday, even if it was hardly a performance to set the pulse racing.
What he could not have envisaged, however, was the sight of Lloris and Son being held apart by teammates, shortly after Everton’s Richarlison had gone close to an equaliser for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Lloris was clearly angry at Son not tracking back in the buildup for the Richarlison chance.
All was well at the end, though, as they hugged.
‘‘What happened between me and Sonny is part of football sometimes. There’s no problem. At the end of the game you could see we were more than happy,’’ the Frenchman said. — Reuters