All Whites wary of virus threat
Defender Tim Payne trusts New Zealand Football will take the appropriate safety measures before sending the All Whites to a country with 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
The All Whites are scheduled to face Bahrain and Oman at the end of the month but the growing coronavirus threat in the Middle East has placed both matches in doubt.
Bahrain’s match against Malaysia on March 21, nine days before meeting the
All Whites, has already been called off as a precaution, while Fifa president Gianni Infantino has refused to rule out further cancellations.
According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 40 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Bahrain but Payne said he would happily accept a call-up if NZ Football deems it safe to travel.
‘‘If they declare it safe to go then all good and I’ll be happy to go,’’ Payne said. ‘‘It’s one of those things where it’s out of our control.
‘‘We haven’t heard anything yet but I’m sure they’re taking all the necessary precautions and getting all the research out there to make sure player safety is number one and obviously the staff as well.
‘‘I’m fully confident they will make the right decision at the end of the day. If we end up going then good but if we don’t then [it is what it is]. Like I said hopefully they make the right decision.’’
Now a regular starter for Wellington Phoenix, the versatile Payne was involved in New Zealand’s most recent internationals against Ireland and Lithuania and is a strong chance of reselection.
If the international fixtures are given the go-ahead, it will make for a hectic fortnight for any Phoenix player involved as they have three A-League matches to play within just eight days prior to travelling to the Middle East.
Although the A-League has not been directly impacted by the global coronavirus outbreak, the fourth-placed Phoenix have taken precautionary steps by supplying players and staff with personal hygiene packs for their away trips to Australia, starting with Sunday’s match against lastplaced Central Coast Mariners in Gosford.
‘‘I think we’re all aware of it. We understand what personal hygiene and things like that that needs to be on top but again we have to have trust in the people that are running the league and the governments of New Zealand and Australia,’’ Payne said.
‘‘If it wasn’t safe for us to be doing so then they would have some precautions in place around that.
‘‘We just have to worry about what we can do, and that’s playing football and hope those people who know better than we do make the right decisions.’’