England’s Nations League tie with Iceland is currently hanging in the balance due to travel restrictions surrounding COVID-19. The English Football Association are working hard to ensure that the game can go ahead but time is starting to run out to find a viable solution.
England’s Nations League Tie With Iceland in the Balance
Travel restrictions around the World continue to affect certain sporting fixtures. The International break for football is now upon us which means it is time for the Nations League to take centre stage once more.
The issue for England’s tie against Iceland is that on Sunday 15th November 2020, Iceland play against Denmark in Copenhagen. Denmark has seen a worrying spike in COVID-19 cases and is now on the UK’s quarantine list. This subsequently means that Iceland are not permitted to travel from Denmark to the UK to play the match with England.
Government Guidance
As things stand, the current guidance from the UK Government states that there will no exemptions to this policy. This relates specifically to travel to and from Denmark and differs from other quartile guide lenses that have allowed travel for elite sports to take place.
The FA have been keen to point out that the Icelandic National team will have been following strict protocols and been tested prior to leaving for England. BBC Sports reports than an FA spokesperson explained:
“While in Denmark they will have been under strict Uefa protocols in a sporting bubble and will be PCR tested before travelling to England. The PCR test picks up the Cluster 5 [mutated] variant.”
Additional Testing
The spokesperson also confirmed that additional testing will be put in in place:
“We will also put in place additional testing over and above the multiple tests normally required for each participant and staff at the match.”
The FA would prefer for the England players not to travel and are therefore not keen on the match being played in a neutral venue such as Germany.
The game with Iceland is due to take place on November 18th and the FA now waits to see if they will be supported in the match going ahead in England.
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