Celt has concern for smaller clubs in current crisis
Ryan Christie fears for the future of smaller clubs like Inverness Caley Thistle if football remains closed down for weeks.
That will hit many clubs hard in the pocket with no fans coming through the turnstiles for the foreseeable future.
Christie’s dad Charlie is still on the staff at Caley Thistle and Ryan knows the future looks grim.
He said: “There are so many teams in Scotland that need that money coming through the gate every weekend to keep the books balanced.
“So it is not looking great for them. But you have to put it into perspective.
“You would rather do that than put people’s lives in danger. You have to think of the bigger picture.”
Christie said Celtic had taken all the necessary health precautions, including banning selfies and other contact with supporters, to try to limit the spread of the virus.
He added: “It’s obviously a very strange situation. It’s hard to adapt to it because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“It’s really a day-to-day situation.
“You don’t know how long it’s away from having the same level of effect in Scotland as we have already seen abroad.
“The club’s been brilliant in giving us information and advice, and also to the fans on how they can stop it from spreading.
“It’s our job as footballers in the public eye to do the same.
“Sometimes you get the feeling you’re a bit immune to it all as a footballer, that you’re fit and healthy.
“But then you look at the situation with other players and that shows you how easy it can get into a club atmosphere and spread.
“So we need to be very aware of it.
“I’ve had to decline giving autographs a couple of times and it’s not nice but the fans have been pretty understanding.”
Christie hoped the season could still be finished, even if games had to be played behind closed doors. But he admitted it would be surreal if Celtic are crowned champions with nobody watching.
He added: “It would be a strange feeling as I’ve never played behind closed doors.
“I watched part of the PSG game on Wednesday night and it was bizarre.
“You could hear all of the players shouting and the ball being kicked so it sounded like an under-17s game.
“It was very strange but everybody is of the understanding that if it comes to that for safety reasons, then we’re not going to complain about it.
“We know how serious it can be, so if it has to be done, then fair enough.
“We would rather do that than completely postpone the season.
“Lifting the trophy with no fans would be a strange end to the season if we have to go down that road.
“But the problem is there would be fans on the street like we saw in the PSG game.
“We want people to come and support the team they love.
“But at the same time, we might have to tell them that it might not be the best idea.”