FORMER national player S. Selvaraju was on his way on Sunday to KLIA to play in the Italian League when he received a phone call which made him do a U-turn.
The call was from the deputy president of the Pistoia club in the Tuscany district, warning him that the Covid-19 outbreak is now at plague level in Italy.
Azri Hassan, who was also supposed to play in Division Two of the Italian League, had already arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Penang two days ago and was supposed to travel with Selvaraju. He also decided to call off his Italian trip.
“I was on the way to the airport when I received a call from the deputy president of my club, informing me that the Covid-19 situation has reached a dangerous level and the league in Italy, as well as all sporting activities there, have come to a halt.
“I was told to make a choice, travel to Italy and wait for the virus epidemic to cool down until the league resumes or cancel my plans.
“I made a U-turn at the KLIA as I decided not to take a gamble.”
Selvaraju last played for Malaysia in a World Cup qualifier in 2009 in Invercargill, New Zealand, after which he was sidelined due to internal bickering.
But the episode did little to demoralise him as it made Selvaraju stronger as he played in more than 10 foreign leagues.
Among the leagues that he saw action in are Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany (three times), Italy, Hong Kong and Thailand.
After his storied adventures, Selvaraju decided to stay put in Italy, where he received his licence to coach after getting a FIH level three coaching certificate from the Italian Hockey Federation.
The Tuscany district, where Selvaraju’s club is located, has reported 66 cases so far, but the Italian government has placed 16 million people, a quarter of its population, under lockdown.
“My Italian friends have informed me that people have been told to stay indoors, and there is hardly any movements on the streets,” said Selvaraju, who recently coached the HockAdemy team to sixth place in the Malaysia Hockey League.
According to reports, the Lombardy region, including the city of Milan, has been
quarantined, as have other cities, including Venice, Parma and Modena.
“The league was supposed to start on March 25, and the possible new date is said to be about a month from now. But it all depends on the Covid-19 situation.
“I took a decision to stay at home with my family while waiting for good news from Italy,” added Selvaraju.
There has been more than 360 Covid-19-related deaths in Italy so far, with 7,375 infections.