Soccer player Godet happy to be home

Bahamian men’s national soccer team player Christopher Godet was happy to return home to The Bahamas on March 13, as the COVID-19 cases were beginning to skyrocket in Italy where he has been stationed since August 2019.

The 21-year-old said it feels good to be home. On his arrival from Rome, Italy, Godet was placed under quarantine at home.

“Rome was calm prior to me leaving,” Godet said. “It was normal – people were going about their business. There were no talks of social distancing at that time. They were told to not leave, unnecessarily, but it wasn’t enforced. The airport was very full of English-speaking persons.”

He added that he left there right in time, as some of his friends are stuck in Rome with national prohibitive guidelines being enforced.

“I was quarantined when I returned for two weeks, where I was bored. I wanted to get out and play because in my head I was healthy but had to be concerned with watching out for others. With that thought in mind, I went through my quarantine,” Godet said.

He was tested and the tests came back negative. Health officials checked in with him during the time he was quarantined and he followed their instructions such as washing hands on a regular basis and other safety measures.

He came out of quarantine on Monday and has been trying to stay active.

“Now that I am out of quarantine, I am getting back into soccer shape,” Godet said. “I was stuck inside for two weeks before I came home, so, basically, I have been stuck inside a house for about a month. I am doing workouts provided by the national team. I am hoping that this month and the next few months will be fruitful.”

The central defender goes to school at the American University of Rome, where he is working on his Masters in Sports Management. Godet plays for ASD III Municipio Calcio in the Prima Categoria Group C League in the city of Lazio – the seventh division of soccer in Italy.

Italy’s cases jumped from just above 400 on February 27, to 5,883 cases and 233 deaths 10 days later. As of yesterday, there were over 115,000 cases and almost 14,000 deaths in Italy.

Godet said he has remained in contact with his team. He said it is up to the Italian Football Federation to post a date on when action will resume in the league. He doesn’t expect that to be anytime soon.

Locally, Godet played for the Bears. He said he is ready to go back to Italy to keep improving his skills and to finish school. Right now, he is doing online classes.

The former Mount Aloysius College defender said soccer in Italy is on a higher scale.

“I learned a lot about European soccer style. They play a much rougher game when it comes to tackling and the referees call certain things. It was a learning experience. There are technical players who are older that dance through it all. The season was going very well,” Godet stated.

Godet’s foreign club looked at his trait and attributes and decided to expand his role from center back to playing right back and center defender mid. Godet said that has helped him to see the game in a different light. He is disappointed that the season got cut short and hopes to progress when he returns.

Godet wants Bahamians to help quell this outbreak by listening to national guidelines and staying indoors. He said he knows The Bahamas will overcome this pandemic like it has overcome other setbacks in the past.

“The situation is, obviously, not ideal, but we have to be our brother’s keeper. We must do whatever it takes to quell this outbreak. Each person must help, so let’s be sensible and smart. I am sure we can overcome this like how we have overcome many other disasters,” he said.

With Italy still struggling to contain the virus, there is no timetable as to when that country will be back to a state of normalcy and when Godet will return.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/03/soccer-player-godet-happy-to-be-home/