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The Norwegians got into trouble because of a positive coronavirus test by right-back Omar Elabdellaoui, who worked at Istanbul’s Galatasaray, on Thursday. According to Norwegian media, all players and coaches on the team are now considered close contacts and must remain in quarantine in Norway for ten days, regardless of the negative tests that the rest of the team turned in on Friday night.
The match scheduled for Sunday in Romania has already been canceled due to the current situation. According to UEFA rules, Romania should be victorious as the Norwegian team will not compete. The UEFA Control Committee will now decide on this. It is still open if the game will take place against Austria. The Norwegian Association (NFF) asked for an exemption in a letter to the Ministry of Health posted on its website, but the chances of this happening are considered quite slim in the national media.
Svendsen expects an exception
NFF President Terje Svendsen has not yet given up hope of a concession from the authorities. “If we are not allowed to travel, we will break the rules of the international football community and lose the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. We also lose the opportunity to win the group, which would bring us attractive rivals in the future. We would be the only UEFA country that would not participate in competitive games, ”Svendsen said on the federation’s website.
“Ambitions destroyed”
Norwegian captains Martin Ödegaard, Joshua King and Stefan Johansen also wrote an open letter to the public on the NFF website. The team was “deeply desperate” over the cancellation threats, the trio wrote. According to information provided by the three players, the charter to Bucharest was already loaded on Saturday and the flight was canceled an hour before takeoff. The team has not trained since Thursday.
The prospect of having a chance to win the group is extremely disappointing. “We have worked hard for four years to optimize our chances of qualifying for the World Cup. We have added more than 40 places in the world ranking. We can move up to the highest league in the Nations League and compete with the best teams in Europe, ”wrote Ödegaard, King and Johansen.
“We can still reach the top 20 European teams and then we would be in the second pot in the World Cup qualifying draw. If we don’t play Romania and Austria, our sporting ambitions can be ruined quickly and in the long term. “
UEFA defines the consequences of CoV
Before the Nations League matches in the coming days, UEFA has set the rules precisely in the case of several positive tests on a team. If a team has at least twelve outfield players and a goalkeeper available, it must be played. If this is not the case and an alternative date cannot be found, the opponent at the green table is declared the winner.
This could benefit the ÖFB team, for example, if the Norwegian team could not travel to the match at the Happel stadium in Vienna. Whether both teams or neither are responsible for the failure, many decide.
Regulations in full
- If multiple players have to go into quarantine or isolation due to a decision of the competent national / local authority, the match will be played as planned and regardless of any other provision of the respective competition regulations (including the deadline for submitting the player list), provided that 13 players o There are players available (including at least one goalkeeper), provided that all players are eligible to play for the under-21 team or the relevant national team in accordance with applicable FIFA regulations and negative according to the UEFA minutes have been proven.
- If a national association is unable to field a team with the minimum number of players specified above (i.e. 13, including at least one goalkeeper), the match will resume, if possible, on a date set by the UEFA administration. set; the UEFA administration is also empowered to install them at a match venue in a neutral country (on the territory of a UEFA member association) if it deems it necessary; In any case, the home team remains responsible for the organization of the match and for all costs incurred in this regard.
- If a match cannot be rescheduled, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body makes a decision on the matter. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will dispense with the national federation, which is responsible for ensuring that the match cannot be played or is not played in its entirety, unless it concludes that both or neither of The teams are responsible for the fact that the game cannot be played or cannot be played in its entirety so that a forfeit loss cannot be imposed. In this case, the UEFA administration will decide the outcome of the match by drawing lots (i.e. 1-0 win, 0-1 loss or 0-0 draw).
