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The decision comes after Omar Elabdellaoui tested positive for the crown. The national team training was canceled and the NFF has been in dialogue with Uefa and the local infection control authorities.
The NFF has discussed the matter with the health authorities and UEFA throughout the day, and has concluded that the team will travel to Romania and Austria.
Players from Norwegian clubs do not join. Therefore, they do not have to risk being quarantined later.
The team originally consisted of five elite series players: Sondre Rossbach (Odd), André Hansen (Rosenborg), Marius Lode (Bodø / Glimt), Patrick Berg (Bodø / Glimt) and Markus Henriksen (Rosenborg). None of these can participate.
This means that the traveling team contains only one goalkeeper: Rune Almenning Jarstein. It may be necessary to call in some replacements.
The team travels as a group in their own bus, with their own charter flights, and remains isolated at the hotel in Romania.
– This is a demanding situation with many dilemmas. We do not want to contest the exception we have received for inbound quarantine. Therefore, we intend to leave players who play for Norwegian clubs in quarantine of infection in Norway, writes NFF in the press release they send out late tonight.
Soccer President Terje Svendsen explains that the NFF has chosen this solution to prevent the spread of infection in Norwegian society.
– While we assess the situation, Norwegian players living abroad can travel outside the country because they will not return to Norway, he says.
Sports medical consequences
They also emphasize the sports consequences of not playing.
– The next campaigns of the national league mean a lot of sport for us. If we don’t line up teams, it means we lose two games. That means a missed opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, writes NFF.
The Norwegian players have been evaluated four times since they arrived in Norway, and no later than Friday. All 33 test results received today are negative.
– This was probably the best solution they could land on. Campaigns are played out, while elite league players and clubs are protected, says NRK expert Carl-Erik Torp.
– I understand that the NFF would do everything possible to make the campaigns play, considering the consequences of not showing up, and I think this is a good solution.
INFECTION: Omar Elabdellaoui tested positive on Friday morning.
Photo: Paul Childs / Reuters
Omar Elabdellaoui, who is the vice-captain of the national team, has isolated himself from the rest of the team.
– Omar first learned of the symptoms last night and he has a headache, a mild cough and also feels lethargic. Beyond this, he’s in a good mood, reports NFF.
In the press release, Stefan Johansen and Martin Ødegaard in the captain’s team emphasize that they are concerned about the increasing infection situation in society.
– That is why we do everything possible every day not to expose others to risks. As footballers, we have lived in quarantine for six months. We do what we can to keep football going. These campaigns mean a lot to us, they say.
Want new evaluations
The increasing development of the infection in Norway and in Europe has led more people to question the exemption of soccer players from quarantine decisions.
Health Director Bjørn Guldvog has announced that sports must now conduct further evaluations of various infection control protocols.
In recent days, there have been several cases of infection in both Norwegian club teams and other national teams. On Wednesday, Norway’s game against Israel was canceled due to an Israeli player testing positive for the crown.
The health director himself took the initiative and recommended the cancellation just a few hours before the start.
When the government and health authorities held a press conference on the crown situation on Friday morning, Prime Minister Erna Solberg warned that the government could no longer prioritize sports regardless of the infection status.
This has our practice
Norway has so far been the only one to cancel an international match. In other cases of infection, the national team in question has formed teams after taking infection control measures after the positive test.
In October, Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, had a positive test during the national team meeting, and so Portugal put the rest of the squad players to the test.
When all tests came back negative, the rest of the squad was cleared for matches against Sweden.
UEFA protocol states that if 13 players are available, including a goalkeeper, the match will be played.
Norway face Romania on Sunday and Austria on Wednesday in the last two national league campaigns this year.
