Ukraine's Nations League game with Switzerland called off as authorities quarantine Ukraine squad
A Switzerland fan at the Aviva Stadium ahead of their 1-1 Euro 2020 qualifying draw with the Republic of Ireland on September 5th. 2019. Credit: Clare McCahill (ETPhotos)
Ukraine’s UEFA Nations League game with Switzerland has been called off after the entire squad was placed into quarantine by health authorities following three positive Covid-19 tests.
Eduard Sobol, Yevhen Makarenko and Dmytro Riznyk turned back positive tests on Monday and the Swiss health authorities immediately placed the entire squad into isolation.
UEFA confirmed on Tuesday that the game could not go ahead as Ukraine were unable to produce another squad to fulfill the fixture.
Switzerland faced relegation to League B after managing just three draws from their five games and needed a win to leapfrog Andriy Shechenko's side who won 2-1 when they played last month in Kyiv.
The game will now be referred to UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to decide whether the game will be rescheduled, forfeited or decided by lots.
“Following recent positive COVID-19 test results within the Ukrainian national team, the relevant Swiss authorities have decided to place the whole Ukrainian national team delegation into quarantine,” read a UEFA statement.
“The Ukrainian football association confirmed they have no other team, i.e. eligible players, able to play the match, either today or tomorrow.
“The UEFA Nations League fixture between Switzerland and Ukraine, scheduled for today, Tuesday 17 November 2020, can therefore not take place.
“The matter will now be submitted to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body, for a decision to be taken in accordance with the special rules applicable to UEFA National Team competition matches.
“UEFA would like to reinforce the importance for all teams, players, officials and all those involved to fully respect the UEFA Return to Play Protocol and the applicable regulatory framework.”
It's not the first game from this international window to fall foul of Covid-19 after Sunday's meeting between Romania and Norway was also called off.
