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The Austrian team could win the group in the Nations League at the Green Table. Norway’s health authority announced on Saturday that it would not allow the country’s national team to travel to away games against Romania on Sunday and the ÖFB team on Wednesday. If this decision remains correct, Franco Foda’s troops would be in first place regardless of the result of Sunday’s game in Vienna against Northern Ireland.
If team A cannot play the matches, Norway faces a cancellation under UEFA regulations and thus three points for Romania and Austria. The Norwegian association has quickly sent an email to ask the authorities for a possible solution. The NFF president has already made a strong case for a way out
“If we are not allowed to travel, we 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 in this group, which would bring us attractive rivals in the future.” We would be the only UEFA country that would not participate in competitive matches, “said Terje Svendsen on behalf of the federation.
The Norwegians got into trouble due to a positive crown test by right-back Omar Elabdellaoui, who was employed at Galatasaray, which was unveiled 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 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. It is unclear whether the Norwegians will be able to skip the Romania match on Sunday, but they will still be able to travel to the Austria match on Wednesday. In this case they still have a chance to win the group.
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 will also lose the opportunity to win the group, which would bring us attractive rivals in the future. We would be the only ones who UEFA country that will not participate in competitive matches, “Svendsen said on the federation’s website.
Martin Ödegaard: “Deeply desperate”
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 Romanian association has agreed to play the game. You also follow all the guidelines. “We live in quarantine in the hotel, we wear masks, we have regular fever measurements, our own dining room and meeting room, in which distances are kept and we separate ourselves from other people. the captains reported.
The prospect of having a chance to win the group is extremely disappointing. “For four years we have worked hard to optimize our chances of qualifying for the World Cup. We have achieved more than 40 places in the world rankings. We can move up to the first division of the Nations League and compete with the best teams in Europe. Still. We can be among the top 20 European teams and then be in the second pot in the World Cup qualifying draw. If we do not play Romania and Austria, our sporting ambitions can be quickly ruined in the short and long term, “wrote Ödegaard, King Johansen.
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