Leeds boss Paul Heckingbottom admits players fear picking up Zika in Myanmar
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LEEDS boss Paul Heckingbottom admits his players "probably didn't sleep" over Zika fears after being told about the club's post-season tour to brutal Myanmar.
Nearly 700,000 Muslims have fled the country in what the United Nations described as a "textbook ethnic cleansing".
Heckingbottom says some players will not travel amid safety concerns, including the 'head-shrinking' Zika virus, which has affected Mynamar, also known as Burma.
United owner Andrea Radrizzani is in charge of broadcaster Eleven Sports, that own a package for TV rights in the area.
Asked if his players were concerned about picking up Zika, Heckingbottom said: "Yes that's one of the things that we're looking into. There's that, plus a lot more that we have to be careful about and get fears put to bed.
"You can imagine as soon as the trip was announced, players, staff, people who might think they're going, straight on the internet, (thinking) 'what are we going to face?'
"They probably didn't sleep that night, but it's never as bad as you think. But we have to take all the precautions necessary as a club to make sure everything's OK.
"We have lots of people getting vaccinated. Our job is to get as much out of it as possible.
"We have got some health jabs today and we have got lots of players that won't be going for various reasons."
Heckingbottom said his squad would get little benefit in playing terms from games against an All-Star XI in Yangon on May 9 and Myanmar's national team in Mandalay on May 11 due to the extensive travel required.
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But the former Barnsley boss said his players would enjoy the experience, while his only personal concerns were the long flights.
He said he had yet to speak to individual players over their possible misgivings about the trip.
Heckingbottom added: "We're professional people. Would they have been happy if it was in Ibiza in a tournament? It's a job, it's what you have to do.
"The players might have concerns and we have to put them to rest and make sure they're comfortable with everything that's going on.
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"We're employed by the club. It's not me picking a squad (to go there) based on football reasons, we're employed by the club and we have to go and do our job.
"If there are concerns, they have to be legitimate concerns and then there have to be things put in place to alleviate them."
The Championship club's controversial plans to play two games in Yangon and Mandalay early next month have been met with fierce criticism.
Shadow sports minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Amnesty International and a large numbers of Leeds fans have urged the club to cancel the trip.
What is the Rohingya crisis and what role has Britain played in Burma?
- BRITISH rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1942 in various guises, with the Empire annexing the region as ‘Burma in British India’.
- British forces overthrew the King of Burma, Thibaw, in 1885 and claimed the region as a colony with trade routes up the Irrawaddy River.
- After claiming independence in 1948, the democratically-elected government was overthrown in 1962 after a military coup d’etat.
- The military junta’s control lasted until 2011, when democratic elections were held and Aung San Suu Kyi was elected as the prime minister in 2016.
- The Rohingya number around one million in Myanmar and are one of many ethnic minorities in the country.
- They have their own language and culture and claim to be descendants of Arab traders and other groups.
- The Buddhist government has denied the Rohingya citizenship and excluded them from the census.
- Rohingya say they have been beaten by security officials in Myanmar and their villages burned down, while Amnesty International claim women and girls have been raped and abused.
Fabian Hamilton, MP for North East Leeds, weighed into the argument on Thursday. He said: "Leeds United must cancel this planned tour of Myanmar immediately.
"The genocide and suffering of the Rohingya Muslims is a not only an extremely serious breach of international law, but a crime against humanity. I urge Andrea Radrizzani to call this off."
Myanmar's governing regime has been accused of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, while Leeds' critics have branded the tour as "morally corrupt".
Radrizzani, whose companies Aser and Eleven Sports have business partnerships in the region, said the club would not receive any payment to play in Myanmar.
Leeds will also be holding football clinics with the Myanmar Football Federation Academies in Yangon and Mandalay.