Forced to relocate in the face of Victoria's newly imposed COVID-19 restrictions, Melbourne City's Scott Jamieson remains in the dark about where he and his side will complete their remaining three regular-season matches.
“So no, no communication in regard to the players.
“I know our clubs been in calls with other teams but we’re in a tricky situation at Melbourne City. A lot of people are shouting to the rooftops about sending Victorian teams to Sydney, and fair enough, but we’ve got 11 days between games. We’re playing on the 20th, playing on the 1st and then our third game against Adelaide is on the 11th.
“I’d be totally for it and understanding about throwing us into that hub if our games were [grouped] similar to the others. But we tried to help the league, help the FFA, by uprooting when everything unstable by going to Newcastle and playing CCM and the Jets.
“Obviously the government, these things are out of the FFA’s control, but I think common sense would hopefully prevail and if the government allows it we got the opportunity to fly in and fly out of Sydney.
“We could obviously charter in and charter out, we’d be able to prepare at the CFA, which is only used by Melbourne City players and our staff, so we’re safe as anyone. You’ve got players like myself getting kicked out of our homes, so we’re pretty safe in that sense.”
Despite his aggrievement towards the possibility of being forced to leave an eight-months pregnant wife to spend up to a month in a NSW hub to play three games, Jamieson was quick to clarify that his ire did not extend to his own club – praising the support they had provided during the A-League’s shutdown.
“[City] has supported every player throughout this since the day we jumped on a plane and flew to Newcastle and were in limbo because we thought maybe the borders were going to be closed,” he said.
“Our football club has supported every player and staff member throughout this whole time, better than any other team in this league.
“I can say that without a doubt: our club has supported us better than any other team in this league."
However, though going on to fiercely proclaim that every member of his side was united across their three, socially distanced dressing rooms in a desire to play, Jamieson did admit that his circumstances were challenging.
“I wouldn’t relocate my partner to Sydney, we’ve got all the correct people around us in regards to midwives and doctors here, so that wouldn’t be fair on her,” Jamieson said.
“In regard to the situation, if I had to uproot, I’d sit down with the football club and discuss from there.
“I think, with the measures that the government taken here to flatten the curve and lower it, hopefully in the next two or three weeks we see it decline and we can get the opportunity to fly in and fly out rather than go to a hub.
“It’s something that I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it and speak to the relevant parties and go from there.”
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