SCOTTISH FOOTBALL WILL GET THROUGH THIS, SAYS EX-HIBS STAR IN CHINA:
Former Hibs keeper McNeil is hopeful that the Far Eastern example can be followed in bid for a return to normality
“They’ve done a good job, so hopefully it helps others”
IF sport’s relative unimportance has never been more apparent than at this point in history, a world without it certainly does feel more apocalyptic by the day.
When CoVID-19 was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, everyday life in the world’s most populated country ceased to exist.
Amid the measures being taken, including the complete lockdown of the Hubei province, the indefinite suspension of the country’s super League was almost a minor detail.
For Andy McNeil, who has been working as a goalkeeping coach in the southern city of Guangzhou for the past three years, the uncertainty over when football would resume was nothing compared with concerns over public health.
six weeks on, though, the former Hibernian keeper is back on the tools — albeit with normal service and life yet to be resumed.
And, notwithstanding the fact that the approach to the pandemic has differed from country to country, he sincerely hopes what he has witnessed in the Far East will come to mirror the chain of events here. scotland and scottish football, he says with certainty, will get through this.
seconded to Guangzhou r&F’s sister club in Hong Kong (also r&F) due to the regular goalkeeping coach being quarantined in China, the 33-year-old told Sportsmail: ‘things are fairly normal out here now. It was bigger in January and February and it’s definitely on the way down.
‘the biggest issue now seems to be foreigners coming in and infecting people. that’s the bigger concern.
‘But, in China, they are now looking at restarting football around April 18. It might be pushed back a couple of weeks but they reckon that, sometime between then and the start of May, it will restart. It does look like things will get back to normal.’
there were moments not six weeks ago when the scot wondered if he’d ever utter those words.
‘When they initially postponed the season, it was indefinitely,’ he explained. ‘they couldn’t make any informed decision. they weren’t taking any chances and they’ve done an excellent job of containing it.
‘It was very tricky as no one knew what it was or what measures would have been effective. But it seems they’ve had the desired effect.
‘they handled it well and they’ve stepped up the measures to make sure it doesn’t come back. they’ve done a really good job, so hopefully that helps other countries.’
Back in January, McNeil spent his days working with the reserve team while paying close attention to the news bulletins.
since the moment that the threat posed by the virus had been known, drastic changes to everyday life were in the post.
Despite being almost 1,000km from Wuhan, citizens of Guangzhou opted for self-imposed lockdown.
‘Very strict measures came into place in terms of restaurants and the like closing,’ explained McNeil (right). ‘Everyone mostly stayed indoors and got their food delivered.
‘Anyone who was outside was wearing a mask and everyone was told about the importance of washing their hands. people did really well and they adhered to the guidelines. And you can see how the country has responded. ‘It was the not knowing when it as going to end that was the hard thing. I’m sure that’s the same thing in the UK right now.’ Football, as is now the case in much of Europe, was quickly mothballed. McNeil had a decision to make. ‘Everyone was told there was no training as no one was allowed to gather in large groups,’ he said. ‘I was back in scotland for Chinese New Year in January when everything was cancelled , so I just stayed here for those three or four weeks. ‘As I was about to come back over to start pre-season training with the Chinese team, they told me to go to Hong Kong.’
Having remained in close contact with his parent club throughout, McNeil was left with no option but to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Mercifully, however, the bulletins have been remarkably upbeat.
‘No one at Guangzhou contracted the virus,’ he explained.
‘It’s a two-hour flight from Wuhan, which tells you about the distance.
‘the measures they put in were really strict and people stuck to them. When the government here talks, people tend to listen and respect what’s said.
‘Even in the city itself, which has a population of 13million, there were only a couple of hundred cases. so it was quite a safe place to be.
‘people just tended not to go out. Walking about in the middle of the day felt like it was late at night. there were only a handful of people. ‘Everyone took the measures seriously and that’s why it was so successful.
‘If people don’t do what they are meant to do, that can cause a lot of problems.’
that begs an obvious and difficult question. While the strict measures in place in the Hubei province and beyond seem to have contained the outbreak, Britain has not yet gone as far. Does McNeil then fear a different outcome in the county of his birth?
‘It depends,’ he replied. ‘I’m not sure that the government in scotland or the UK could do what they did in China.
‘they locked down 60m people (in Hubei). they just told people that they couldn’t leave an area.
‘You couldn’t fly, take a train,
walk, take your car, nothing. That’s what stopped it. They took really decisive and difficult action and stuck to it.
‘People did what they had to do. And that’s why they have had success.
‘I don’t know if you could say to ten million people in London not to leave their homes or leave the city.’
Just because football isn’t the be all and end all right now doesn’t detract from the fact that enormous decisions must be taken.
UEFA yesterday delayed the Euros for a year. What happens to the SPFL is already a matter of hot debate.
‘I’m glad it’s not me that’s making it (the decision),’ sighed McNeil. ‘Whatever the people in charge decide to do, there will be consequences. If you delay and delay, then you could have people out of contract when it restarts.
‘Paying people when there is no money coming in is a huge problem for clubs.
‘But if you end the leagues as they stand now, with teams being relegated and promoted, that’s a no-win situation.’
McNeil can offer no quick solution but feels the basis for making a decision must be clear.
‘You have to just focus on the health issue,’ he said. ‘If you make a decision for that reason, you can fully justify it.
‘We all know the Bill Shankly quote about football not being a matter of life or death — it’s more important than that. We know that’s not correct.
‘The health of communities has to be prioritised over sport.’
Whatever the sporting powers in Scotland decree, he feels rushing to judgment would be wrong.
Given the chaos any snap decisions from Hampden will cause across the game, what, truly is waiting a few of weeks?
‘You could hang on for a little bit. Why not?’ suggested McNeil.
‘You don’t have to make a decision straight away. You don’t have to call it right now. You can see how it is in a month’s time.’
Given the air of normality his daily routine is slowly assuming, his is surely a voice worth listening to.
There may be no guarantees that Scotland will emerge from the virus as and when China and Hong Kong have done.
But, as things stand, it’s surely a hope that’s worth hanging on to.
‘We’ve already started playing some cup games in the FA’s training base behind closed doors,’ continued McNeil.
‘There are rigorous checks to make sure everyone was okay.
‘There are some guidelines like you can’t have more than nine people in a dressing room at once, so there are two dressing rooms for each team.
‘They’ll have to catch up with some games but they’ll probably finish the season on time.
‘I think China will do something similar. I’m sure the fans will be let back in soon. We’ll get there. As will Scotland.’