I’m not thinking about money... health is all that matters
CHRIS BURKE is acutely aware that these dark days for football are being replicated in other industries all across the land.
Training at home to maintain a good level of fitness, the 36-yearold Kilmarnock winger has no idea when he will see his colleagues face-to-face or be back in action. In that respect, he is the same as many other workers from very different environments.
The financial impact of coronavirus has, however, generated more specific headlines when it comes to football.
Hearts led the way in seeking wage cuts that are now being mirrored by a number of other clubs in different divisions.
Tynecastle captain Steven Naismith, a former Rangers team-mate of Burke’s, even warned this week that he feared for the very future of the game unless unified action was taken.
While there is no indication of measures being taken in the immediate future at Rugby Park, few clubs will be immune should this shutdown persist for as long as is being anticipated.
These are worrying times for footballers, just as they are for pretty much everyone else. To Burke, however, facing a sudden threat to the health of family and friends has placed everything else in the shade.
‘If I am honest, I’m not thinking about money or anything like that,’ said Burke. ‘Everyone should think health first because money does not buy you health.
‘As much money as you have or you don’t have, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have your health.
‘It’s why everyone has to come together. People have done that and are doing it. I understand these are difficult times for business and difficult times for football clubs.
‘First and foremost, if you ask me the question: is health more important than what is going into your bank account? Of course it is.
‘If everyone thinks like that, we can become far better people at the end of this. I just hope the government has a plan in place which can get these businesses back up and running.
‘Hopefully, for people who are having difficult times now, they can sort out the mortgage aspects and allow people to get food onto the table for their families.
‘No one has experienced this. It’s something unexpected which has spiralled quickly and catches you off guard. You then have to act fast and that goes for everyone from football clubs to the Prime Minister. Hopefully, things don’t get worse.’
Burke’s experience of working from home is obviously different to those who have to deal with figures on a computer screen. Or produce articles to fill the sports pages of a newspaper.
But there is a common strangeness in being transplanted out of the usual surroundings of your trade — be that a training ground or an office.
‘It’s definitely challenging,’ said Burke. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s difficult because resources at clubs now mean we get itineraries and schedules given to us.
‘It’s more a mental thing than a physical aspect. We can all do the physical stuff. We are fit and can do the work. It’s the mental aspect of giving your all.
‘I’m enjoying it. Of course you’d like to be with the group, but I’m not feeling that I don’t want to do it. We all have certain marks. If you can do a little more than the club give you, do it if you can.’
Scottish football is officially on hold until April 30 but no one anticipates a swift resumption after that date. As Hearts owner Ann Budge admitted yesterday, an August restart seems a more realistic target.
‘It’s difficult for them to come up with a timeline,’ recognised Burke. ‘Things have changed week by week. Now it’s almost day by day in terms of what we can do as a society, never mind football.
‘The itinerary we have been given is to bide ourselves in slowly and gradually increase as, at the end of the day, you can only be fit and you can’t get match fit.
‘Whether we get information on when we know we’ll come back? Again, it’s been changed a few times, whether that be competitions or leagues and when do they start.
‘We all need to stick together. Whether it is UEFA or the SPFL or whoever it is, they have to come together because this affects all of us. It’s not just certain leagues, certain competitions, certain countries, it’s everybody.
‘Obviously, we would all like an answer, but how can you get one?
How can you know? Who makes that decision? There are different people and different ideas.
‘Yes, we’d all like to know when the start dates are, when the end is, but we’re not going to get it at the moment.
‘We can keep in close contact with doctors, physios, whoever at Kilmarnock. Our manager (Alex Dyer) is in contact and his first protocol is always to ask if you and your family are well. We’ll look after everything else.
‘That’s the club Kilmarnock is. Family-orientated. Everyone looks out for each other and long may that continue. Fans and players are coming together.
‘You’ve already seen what the fans have done for the club in this testing time.’