Gael gets shut out of switch

BY FRASER WILSON

FORMER Motherwell star Gael Bigirimana has seen his career stall twice because of coronavirus – even though his own country is one of only four still kicking a ball.

The Football Federation of Burundi made the controversial decision to play on this week with just three rounds of league fixtures to go.

The tiny African nation has only three confirmed cases of Covid-19 and while the borders remain locked the rest of the country is very much open for business in a footballing sense.

But more than 6000 miles away in Coventry, former Rangers and Hibs loanee Bigirimana is in lockdown with his young family and, like the vast majority of players, can only dream about his next game.

A free agent after leaving Solihull Moors in January, a move to Canada was lined-up before coronavirus struck.

Not only that but his hopes of returning to Africa for Burundi’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last month also bit the dust.

Bigirimana said: “The international matches have been postponed for now which is frustrating but there’s nothing you can do about that.

“Not when the majority of the world has stopped.

“It’s frustrating because last summer we were on a high and we made history as the first Burundi side to play in the African Cup of Nations. Now nothing.

“There’s no lockdown. The borders are shut and the airport is shut but they still play football.

“I’ve had an offer from Canada and there’s interest in America but things might change because of the situation.”