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Former President of the UPL, Swiss lawyer Thomas grimm commented on the cancellation of the Nations League match between Switzerland and Ukraine.
– What do your Ukrainian colleagues say about the cancellation of the game?
– The first information came from UEFA around 11:15. At first they couldn’t believe the news, then there was mistrust. Those responsible immediately began to look for possible alternative solutions, such as the flight of the Northern Ireland Under-21 team or the Ukraine Under-20 team. Shortly before 13:00, the document “Procedure for players and employees of the Ukrainian national soccer team” was sent to the UAF via the Swiss Football Association in German.
– Did you have direct contact with the Ukrainians?
– Yes, I was sitting with the UAF general secretary in a hotel in Lucerne when the bad news came. The document was also sent to me electronically. The reason for the prescribed measure was “to prevent the uncontrolled spread of 2019-nCov from the Ukrainian national football team to other people, in particular to the players and employees of the Swiss national team, and to the general population.” I cannot understand this reason, especially the link with the general population. UEFA’s defense concepts foresee the impossibility of contact with the “normal” population. Furthermore, the justification is based on the assumption that there will be an unknown number of delegation members who have previously tested negative.
– Are you sure that the Ukrainians followed the protection measures?
– I cannot answer this question, as I was not traveling with the delegation. I’ll just say that all the time I spent with the Ukrainian delegation in the hotel lobby, everyone, without exception, was wearing protective masks.
– Apparently, Ukrainians were also noticed on the territory of the hotel after the quarantine decree.
– I left the hotel around 1:00 p.m. At that time, the Ukrainian delegation had not officially received the document. In my opinion, the document has not yet been formalized from a legal point of view. In any case, all players and team members went to their numbers immediately after their arrival from training. In the event of a decision with such consequences, I expected someone from the health department to come immediately in person, relay the final decision, and explain the consequences. Until I left the hotel, it didn’t happen.
– But in the end, a doctor from the canton of Lucerne quarantined the entire team for a new positive case of coronavirus. In any case, this is a practice that excites all Swiss sports.
– In this case, I can’t understand the solution. This is disproportionate to me. Compared to neighboring countries, Switzerland has relatively moderate restrictions in terms of measures to contain the COVID-19 virus. In most cantons, you can still go to a restaurant, including the canton of Lucerne. The theoretical health risk existed for the entire team and staff of both delegations, not for the general population. The conditions here cannot be compared to regular football or hockey league matches.
– Why not?
– Players do not stay together at the hotel, but instead return home after training or playing. Certainly, there is an increased risk of infection and spread. In this case, the entire delegation is under constant control and stays at the hotel. From a human point of view, there was no danger to the people of Lucerne. There was no contact. If the competent authority recognized the danger here, additional measures could be taken to protect the population of Lucerne. If the decision to “play or not play” was left to UEFA and both associations, it would not hurt anyone. This also has nothing to do with a special relationship with sport.
– What do you have in mind?
– I just wonder: where is the greatest risk of contagion? In a restaurant with 100+ unverified guests, or at a soccer game with 22 players testing negative within 24 hours? However, it would allow for a sports justice debate and proper decision that is not based on speculation, but on new test results, and would certainly focus on the health of players and employees. Even if the solution could be the same. Players are very aware of risk. All the time, they play against players with negative tests, who could theoretically carry the virus.
– He is a lawyer and has worked for UEFA and FIFA for a long time. Will Switzerland get a technical victory?
– I can only guess. But this discussion could have been avoided if the cantonal doctor had not made a mistake in his decision. For example, the match could be postponed until Wednesday and rechecked with the Ukrainian team before the match. If 13 or more players tested negative, they could have played. Under the UEFA rules, as far as I know, there are two options: a loss or a draw. Both decisions are unsatisfactory because they were not made in the field. Even Switzerland will be at a disadvantage when it comes to the draw.
– Do you see another solution?
– Maybe even a new game schedule for next year. For example, the game could be played as one of the preparation games for Euro 2021. In my opinion, UEFA has no time limit on hosting this match in 2021. This would be the fairest sporting decision.
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