Celtic star reveals what the players have been told regarding the future with the coronavirus outbreak suspending football all around the world.
With the coronavirus outbreak forcing society into a shutdown in various parts of the world, the immediate future of football is uncertain at the moment. Leagues all around the world have been suspended indefinitely with no expected date of return at this moment. Hopefully, things will return to normal as soon as possible.
Yesterday, UEFA announced that all 55 associations were hoping to end both European and domestic campaigns by 30th June, if things improve. International competitions that were scheduled to be held in the summer like EURO 2020 and Copa America 2020 have already been postponed to next year.
It is understandable though that Celtic fans are concerned about the fate of the season, especially the league where they currently sit on a 13-point lead. Unfortunately though, nothing is clear yet about what will happen if the season cannot be completed.
One man who would have been hit especially hard by the shutdown is Hatem Abd Elhamed. The Israeli has suffered an injury-plagued season and had just returned to fitness before football was suspended.
Speaking with the Daily Record regarding the current situation, the Celtic defender said:
"“The club have told us we won’t be playing football until UEFA tell us what to do.“I was training for the Rangers v Celtic game and now we are off for at least ten days. The feeling here in Scotland is that UEFA will decide what all leagues will do.“There is uncertainty and everyone is asking where we are going from here. We have a very big points gap at the top of the table and we are on our way to winning the championship.“Now we are wondering if we will be champions if they decide to end the season. It’s a shame, but it’s not in our hands. It’s something global.“I think there have been a few instances in the UK that footballers have been infected with the coronavirus and it has made a big impact.“Here in Scotland, everything is normal because the restaurants and shopping malls are open, but that’s constantly changing.“Personally, I am very disappointed with what is happening because I have been without football for four months and returned to play after a very long period of recovery and rehabilitation.“It is difficult for a footballer to go through the day in the middle of the season without football. That’s what we do and that’s our life.”"
Of course, everything depends on when this coronavirus outbreak dies out and it is much more important than football. The virus has hit a number of European countries hard with many of under lockdown while people around the world are being advised to stay inside as much as possible.