Norway – Israel canceled

The private international match Norway – Israel, which was to be played tonight at the Ullevaal stadium at 6:00 p.m., is canceled just hours before the match starts. This is confirmed by the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) in a press release.

This occurs shortly after yesterday the municipal chief in Oslo gave the go-ahead for the match to be played after a player tested positive for covid-19 in the Israeli squad. The player was isolated from the rest of the squad, like another player he had dined with. Thus, the situation was clarified and the match could be held, it was modest.

At a meeting on Wednesday morning, however, the opposite message came through: The Norwegian Health Directorate believes that there is a risk of infection between players and support staff if the current international match between Norway and Norway takes place. Israel. Therefore, the match is canceled.

– Of course, it is sad to cancel a match hours before the start. At the same time, it emphasizes the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in, says Pål Bjerketvedt, Secretary General of the Norwegian Football Association and continues:

– This fall more than 500 international matches have been played in Europe. Therefore, we are confident that the protocols provide the necessary infection control framework in the matches that are played. Now that the health authorities are not sure of the risk of spread after an outbreak of infection in the Israeli team and recommend canceling the match, we will of course continue this.

That this planned private international match should have been played tonight despite the growing crown pandemic has been met with several critical voices in recent days. City Councilman Raymond Johansen was among several who expressed concern.

– Should have been done earlier

Jesper Mathisen from TV 2 had just arrived in Oslo when the news broke.

– That was the only right thing to do. I think it should have been done earlier. It seems strange when Oslo closes and an insignificant international game is to be played, Mathisen tells Dagbladet.

He believes that the decision should have come much earlier.

– It took an unnecessarily long time. He looks like an amateur to my eyes, says Mathisen.

Terje Svendsen understands the criticism.

– Of course, we understand that it is questionable when conducting a national match when the infection numbers are now increasing. This is one of several dilemmas we have faced over the last year. Throughout the year we have been concerned with carrying out activities within the safe framework of infection control. Never at the expense of infection control, says the soccer president.

TV 2 commentator Øyvind Alsaker, for his part, understands the original plan.

– It is the time in which we live and the infection situation changes day by day. I understood why this match should be played, and when you put the handbrake on, you can argue. Now there was an infection in the Israeli squad and then maybe everything was fine, Alsaker tells Dagbladet.

This is at stake

– I don’t think it means so much for the national team or for the Norwegians that I didn’t play tonight. The important games come on Sunday and Wednesday and to open a collection with the insignificant game, there were no special sporting reasons for either of them, as I see it.

Norway will face Romania and Austria away on November 15 and 18, respectively, in the Nations League game.