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Warren Feeney on lockdown at Blagoevgrad in Dimitar Berbatov's old Bulgarian club

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Former Northern Ireland international Warren Feeney is spending lockdown with his Bulgarian side Pirin Blagoevgrad, a former club of Dimitar Berbatov.

In the south-west Bulgarian town of Blagoevgrad, Warren Feeney, via video call from his office, points outside at the training pitches of the club he joined in November.

"It's where Dimitar Berbatov started as a kid," the former Bournemouth striker tells Sky Sports News. "I think his house is actually about 150 yards away from the stadium, so if we can find another player like him we'd be more than happy!"

Feeney is in charge of second division side Pirin Blagoevgrad and as the coronavirus pandemic intensified he suddenly found himself thousands of miles from wife Katy and family, with no matches to prepare for.

"It's been difficult, I'm not going to lie," he reveals. "I thought about going home but there was a possibility of being quarantined for two weeks so I wouldn't see my family anyway. I think looking at the bigger picture it's a wise decision to stay."

Warren Feeney
Image: Feeney joined Blagoevgrad as manager in November

Instead he oversees training programmes - they can only go out in twos - and attempts to keep the players engaged. It helps that the owners have splashed out on "seven or eight" PlayStation consoles for the squad.

"It's better than them doing the toilet roll challenge," Feeney jokes. "You can see how much fitness they lose. I'm sure it's the same with other players at the top level. We try to keep them occupied.

"The club has been very good. They own some restaurants so all the boys are getting fed at the moment. We go and pick up the food [because of isolation]. They look after us."

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Warren Feeney
Image: Feeney's side sit in 12th place in the Bulgarian Second League having played 20 games ahead of the football shutdown

Once a manager of Newport County and Northern Ireland champions Linfield, Feeney was also assistant to Harry Kewell at Crawley and Notts County before another spell in his home country with Ards.

A former team-mate of his, who had been advising Pirin's Dubai based investors, recommended him for the job and Feeney is seeing the bigger picture.

"It's a lovely place with fantastic owners," he says. "It's owned by Emirates Wealth and they really are looking after everyone. They have massive plans and have just built a new training ground with a lot of money.

"I can go and live anywhere and I get on with it. I've been very impressed with not just the club but the town of Blagoevgrad and Bulgaria itself."

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Notts County assistant manager Warren Feeney looks on during the Sky Bet League Two match between Northampton Town and Notts County at PTS Academy Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Northampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)
Image: Feeney had stints as assistant manager at Newport County, Crawley Town and Notts County

Football largely takes a back seat for Feeney as planning for next season is proving virtually impossible.

"I'm speaking to agents and clubs and no one knows what's going on so you can't really plan because if the season does get extended are players contracts going to get extended?" he says.

"It's a difficult one. FIFA and UEFA are doing all they can but we've got to address it day by day and that's what we're prepared for.

"If the football season has to finish it has to finish but it's only a sport in a population of billions. It is a crisis. I was listening to Harry Kane on Sky Sports News and I think he was spot on when he said there needs to be a cut off point."

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - OCTOBER 08: Warren Feeney of Northern Ireland gets past Domenico Criscito of Italy during the EURO 2012 Qualifier Group C match between Northern Ireland and Italy at Windsor Park on October 8, 2010 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Image: Feeney scored five goals in 46 caps for Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2011

Feeney had watched on from afar, a month before taking the job, as the name of Bulgarian football was tarnished after the racist abuse of England players led to a stadium ban from UEFA.

"Bulgaria doesn't want it [racism]," he says. "It's a minority of fans. It's not something we want and I've certainly not seen it at our games.

"I've been to a couple of games in the big league and have not seen it there either. Maybe fans came out just for that game to be heard. We don't want it in football.

"They have great teams here - Ludogorets, Levski, CSKA, ourselves. We want to get into that top league."

That's the bigger picture but the priority here, like all clubs around the world, is staying safe indoors. Football is for the consoles.