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– That match in Romania or Austria would be illegal in Norway. The trip they have presented to us tonight would also be in a legal gray area, says Bent Høie on TV 2.
So it does what NRK experienced tonight: it says no to allowing the national soccer team to leave Norway when it is in quarantine.
The national team squad was quarantined after the team’s vice captain, Omar Elabdellaoui, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
– People who have been in close contact with other infected people must be quarantined for ten days. I hope high-level football takes into account that if they don’t relate to it then it will help reduce respect for some of the most important things we have in the fight against the pandemic, says Høie.
Top NFF football director Lise Klaveness won’t say for sure whether Norway will go to Romania or not anyway.
– We will not violate Norwegian law. I cannot clarify if the plane will take off. You can work in quarantine. If we can avoid close contact when we travel, we are inside. We believe they do not need to change the regulations. Høie said it was a gray area. Nobody has thought about this, that a closed group should travel without having close contact, says Klaveness in Dagsrevyen.
Høie reacts to this.
– If the Football Association chooses to operate in a legal gray zone, and not least undermine one of the most important tools we have to face the pandemic, namely being quarantined when in contact with an infected person, I will react very energetically to that. Høie answers.
– they have not succeeded
All this happens after a chaotic day for the Norwegian Football Association (NFF). The national team was in Gardermoen, on their way to Romania, when the Norwegian Health Directorate told them that you are not allowed to travel abroad when you are in quarantine.
The NFF responded by sending a letter to the Ministry of Health in a recent attempt to get a chance to play the next two national league matches against Romania and Austria.
SAY NO: Bent Høie will not give the national soccer team permission to go to Romania or Austria. Therefore, there will be no national league matches in the national team in November.
Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / NRK
This is the letter to which Høie now responds. And the answer is a resounding no.
– First-class football has received the most complete exceptions during the pandemic, precisely because they believe they can keep the infection out of teams and are careful with it. Unfortunately, we now see that they fail. If they also operate in a legal court or get new exceptions, I think that is not correct, Høie tells TV 2.
Therefore, he supports the health directorate, which emphasized early Saturday that the national team would break quarantine provisions if it travels abroad.
What happens now with the international match tomorrow is uncertain.
I don’t have Friday either
The NFF has believed that the regulations have not taken into account situations like this, and argues that the consequences of not competing are great for all of Norwegian football.
However, the Norwegian Health Directorate is clear that the regulations allow exceptions to the quarantine of the infection only in cases where it is necessary to avoid a danger to life and health.
NRK knows that NFF applied on Friday to Tore W. Steen in Oslo’s municipal chief, to be allowed to go to Bucharest. The doctor responded that the regulation gives his consent when “people infected in quarantine can exceptionally use public transport to reach a suitable quarantine place after a special evaluation by the municipal doctor.”
It further assumed that “everyone travels to the indicated place of residence, see list (with players and support staff, journal.anm.), And remains at the place of residence until the quarantine period expires.”
In other words, the answer was also no yesterday, as none of the national team players live in Romania.
In Austria, the authorities have announced a total lockdown from Tuesday. Therefore, Wednesday’s game may end up canceled anyway.
This is how the national team wanted to travel
According to the deputy director of health, Espen Nakstad, it is not possible to leave the country and obtain an exemption from the quarantine rules. The Norwegian Health Directorate has notified the NFF.
SAY NO: After Espen Rostrup Nakstad (right) pointed out how the quarantine rules should be interpreted, the NFF sent a letter to Health Minister Bent Høie (left) describing how they want to travel without breaking quarantine rules.
Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB
– If you are in quarantine in Norway, you can, if approved by the municipal doctor, travel to your own place of residence to continue the quarantine there. But then it must be done in a safe and doctor-approved way. This does not mean that you get a quarantine exemption, you must continue the quarantine where you came from. Obtaining a quarantine exemption is not legal unless life and health are threatened, Nakstad tells NRK.
In the NFF letter, the association still tried to find possible solutions. They read the regulations so that you can be quarantined away from home as long as you stay six feet from others. They write:
LETTER: The president of the Football Association, Terje Svendsen, has signed the letter together with the football director Lise Klaveness.
Photo: Terje Pedersen / Terje Pedersen
“Following an assessment of current regulations, and also based on signals from the Norwegian Health Directorate, we have now further adjusted the travel plans so that, in our assessment, they do not involve infringements of the rules on quarantine of infections. “.
In addition, they described how to maintain a distance of two meters during the trip to Romania. They think this is good enough not to violate quarantine regulations.
- A distance of two meters is maintained at the exit of the hotel and on the bus.
- A distance of two meters is maintained when placed on the bus
- A distance of two meters is maintained at the bus exit and on the chartered plane
- The two meter distance is maintained by placing it on chartered aircraft.
Upon arrival in Romania, the national team had to abide by the rules of the Romanian crown.
– A disproportionate measure
NFF’s letter says:
TWO METERS: NFF proposes to maintain a distance of two meters to Romania to be able to leave the country.
Photograph: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB
“NFF has a burning and burning desire to take the initiative and contribute to the work of the authorities to stop the spread of the infection in society. There are no sporting or economic consequences that prevail over consideration of life and health. Therefore, we will organize the exit in the way that is necessary so that this is carried out in accordance with the infection regulations. “
At the same time, the football association fears the consequences of not posing.
“UEFA can impose a sanction that in various ways could be difficult for both today’s players and the next players who are on their way up and forward. In our opinion, canceling the trip would be an unnecessary and disproportionate measure. We also note that these are players who, in any case, will be able to travel home to the countries they live in. “
NRK has tried to contact Health Minister Bent Høie, but has so far failed.
