The national team in squeeze a few hours before the departure from Romania:

When there is a press conference, you can watch it live on tv2.no.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., the national team will basically board the plane that will take them to Romania for the Nations League game on Sunday.

But less than a day before departure, what is happening for the Norwegian national team is still completely in the sky after it emerged today that Vice Captain Omar Elabdellaoui tested positive for Covid-19.

Elabdellaoui has tested positive for coronavirus

– We are still working on an overview and solution, Gro Tvedt Anderssen from the Norwegian Football Association reports to TV 2 at 5pm on Friday afternoon.

Earlier on Friday, the NFF announced that it would be holding a press conference on the issue during the day, but so far it’s been a while:

It is simply a matter of the Norwegian Football Association continuing to work to find the way forward.

– This says a bit about the puzzle that is for the parties involved. There are an incredible number of things to consider in such a case, says Jesper Mathisen, soccer expert from TV 2.

Unclear quarantine rules cause headaches

The most central question now is who is defined by Omar Elabdellaoui’s close contacts and whether they should be quarantined.

For VG, club doctor in Brann, Magnus Myntevik, who among other things has been involved in the design of the Norwegian top football protocol, says that players who have trained with Elabdellaoui, in principle, will be quarantined for ten days.

At the same time, it is reported from Sweden that the neighbors train normally, despite the fact that the national team player Carl Starfelt has tested positive.

In other words, there may be a conflict between the Norwegian rules and the UEFA rules.

UEFA has also made it very clear that matches will be played if the national teams have at least 13 players available, including a goalkeeper.

One solution may be, for example, that Norway must incorporate a number of urgent alternatives, among other things, if several of Elabdellaoui’s close contacts are to be quarantined.

Another factor is that Health Director Bjørn Guldvog has wanted a tightening of quarantine rules for Norwegian soccer players coming from abroad: if, for example, Norway travels out of the country now, there is a risk that Patrick Berg will Bodø / Glimt is quarantined for ten years. days when he returns home to Norway.

In other words, it is a violent puzzle to which the Norwegian Football Association is working to find a solution.

– I have mild symptoms

Fortunately, the Norwegian vice captain appears to be in a good mood despite the fact that he has been affected by the Covid-19 virus.

On Friday afternoon he posted a message on Twitter, in which he himself claims he has mild symptoms.

Norway will basically face Romania on Sunday. Then he will meet Austria, also abroad, on Wednesday. Both games will be broadcast on TV 2.