Euro 2020 play-offs: Closed door decision 'not in my control' - NI boss O'Neill
- Published
Northern Ireland lost twice to Bosnia in the Nations League
Michael O'Neill says he won't dwell on any potential decision to play Northern Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off semi-final in Bosnia-Herzegovina behind closed doors.
Ticket sales for the game have been postponed over fears about the spread of coronavirus.
"It's not in my control, so dwelling on it too much is not really beneficial," said O'Neill.
The play-off semi-final is scheduled to take place on 26 March in Zenica.
Tickets were due to go on sale on Wednesday, but the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced the postponement on Tuesday.
Its statement said the ticket sales have been postponed for several days.
"In order to prevent the spread of the virus corona, and in accordance with the recommendations of the relevant institutions, the ticket sale is postponed for several days," the association's statement said.
"A new ticket date will be announced later."
A number of major sporting events across Europe have been postponed because of the outbreak of coronavirus, including Ireland's final Six Nations games at home to Italy and away to France.
The Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off semi-final away to Slovakia, also due to take place on 26 March, will take place behind closed doors because of the outbreak.
The winner of the encounter between Bosnia and Northern Ireland will meet either Slovakia or the Republic in a play-off final on 31 March for a place in this summer's Euro 2020 finals.
'We'll follow any instructions'
O'Neill admits he does not have any say on any potential decision to play the game behind closed doors and says the landscape has the potential to change over the next two weeks in the build-up to the game.
"I've been here long enough now to know that you can have the best preparations in the world, but ultimately it is the week leading up to the game which is most important," said O'Neill.
"We'll have to follow any instructions we are given, but the most important thing is our preparation and making sure that we are ready to play.
"There's a lot of football to be played between now and then, for the players and their clubs, and there are a lot of external factors which could change in that period of time as well.
"It takes away the crowd, I wouldn't say it takes away the home advantage.
"Obviously you still have the travel and the settling in period, plus everything that goes with that.
"It would be a bit of a surreal atmosphere if that is the situation, but I think Northern Ireland have played behind closed doors before I was the manager, so we will have players in our squad who will have experience of that if it is to happen."
Bosnia captain Edin Dzeko could be affected by the lockdown in Italy to combat coronavirus
Bosnia-Herzegovina could be faced with a prospect of having three of their key players, who play their club football in Italy, in lockdown after the government extended the country's emergency measures to combat coronavirus.
The Italian government said "only those with a valid work or family reason that cannot be postponed will be allowed to travel", which could affect AC Milan's Asmir Begovic, Juventus' Miralem Pjanic and Roma forward Edin Dzeko.
"They were the two players who did the most damage to us in the Nations League games," said O'Neill, speaking on Pjanic and Dzeko.
"I'm not in a position to keep them in Italy, as much as I'd love to.
"I don't have that power. These situations are a bigger problem for the Bosnian FA than they are for us.
"The situation is still very unclear, they have up to five players in their squad who play their club players in Italy.
"But until we get more clarification on anything like that then there isn't much point giving it too much thought."