‘Football is a religion for Celtic fans and they’ll miss it’ says Ryan Christie
The Celtic attacker, who spoke this week before Friday’s shut-down was announced by the Scottish FA and SPFL, acknowledges that, with football having such a grip in Scotland, a vital element that contributes to our cultural and community well-being will also be missing with its halting.
Too often societal ills are placed at football’s door. Too little recognition is given to the crucial function it serves offering an escape from the daily drudge. In doing so, football has a role in balancing mental health through providing regular doses of excitement and colour people cannot access otherwise in their routine existences.
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Hide AdChristie is an admirably cerebral sort who is capable of seeing the coronavirus crisis in a broader context.
“At a club like Celtic, every other day I’m amazed at the support we get from our fans. Most fans treat this club like a way of life and a religion. They live for coming to watch us play,” he said. “It’s not nice, but if somebody is carrying [the virus] then a stadium is probably the worst place for them to go. So many people love to watch us play football so it’s frustrating.”
However much fans want to get close to their heroes for autographs and selfies, Christie reveals Celtic’s footballing public have respected the requirement for such gestures to be placed in abeyance in a bid to protect players from the spread of the virus.
“I’ve had to decline a couple of times and it’s not nice, but the fans have been pretty understanding,” he said. “As soon as the club put a statement out we’ve had very little of it so it’s good to see they are taking the advice on board. The club have done well in getting us to and from games.”
Frankly, there appears little prospect of the season resuming with the peak of the virus still believed to be up to two months away. That has raised questions as to whether Celtic can be declared Premiership champions on the back of their 13-point lead after 30 games – as club manager Neil Lennon and captain Scott Brown maintain must happen.
Christie was asked his take on the possibility of another outcome, that the 2019-20 Premiership campaign becomes the equivalent of the league championships played during the Second World War, in that results are rendered unofficial and are not lodged in record books.
In that scenario, then, Celtic would not complete nine-in-a-row, this quest rolling on till next season. Whenever that might be, and whatever form that might take.
“It’s very strange,” added Christie. “You don’t really know how it would feel because it’s something you would never expect to happen. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, that we can get the season finished. But if it does, it will be a very strange feeling, especially with so much of the season gone already. If consequences come to that then you need to put health and safety first instead of football.
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Hide Ad“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 and focusing on each game. When you look across Europe and the world you see how many people are affected and you obviously wish the best for them. But you don’t know how long it’s away from having the same level of affect in Scotland and the UK.
“For us, it’s not our decision to make. All we can do is listen to the advice given to us. We’ll also pass on any advice. The club’s been brilliant in giving us information and advice and also the fans, how they can stop it from spreading. It’s our job as footballers in the public eye to do the same.”
Scottish football authorities seem reluctant to consider the possibility of voiding the season. If current standings decide the winners and losers, Celtic could be handed their latest league trophy with no ceremony and no fanfare.
“That would be very strange as we’ve done so well so far this season and have been pushing to try and have the same success. So it would be a strange end to the season if we have to go down that road. We want people to come and support the team they love but we might have to tell them that it might not be the best idea.”
Christie, with his father Charlie still involved at his first club Inverness Caledonian Thistle – where one player is in self-isolation after exhibiting signs of the virus – isn’t blinkered and doesn’t concern himself only with the implications of this unprecedented health crisis on Celtic. He has fears for the dozens of professional clubs in Scotland whose hand-to-mouth existence is now facing an existential threat.
“I said that to one of the boys the other day, that there are so many teams in Scotland that need that money coming through the gate every weekend to keep the books balanced,” Christie said. “Again, it is not great. It doesn’t really help many teams in Scotland, but you have to put it into perspective. You would rather do that than put people’s lives in danger. Most of the time, with all these questions, you have to think of the bigger picture – especially when it comes to something as serious as this.”