SportsCOVID-19 Infections: Doubts Trail UCL Barca Vs Dynamo Match

COVID-19 Infections: Doubts Trail UCL Barca Vs Dynamo Match

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The UEFA Champions League fixture between Catalan giants Barcelona and Ukrainian top side Dynamo Kiev is on the verge of being postponed.

Due to a detrimental combination of COVID-19 cases, player injury and suspensions, Kiev have only been able to name 13 players from their Champions League A-list squad. They currently have nine players unavailable due to COVID-19, three suspended and one injured.

With Vitaly Mykolenko, Georgy Buschan and Denys Boyko already in quarantine, Georgiy Tsitaishvili, Denis Garmash, Mikkel Duelund, Alexander Karavaev, Tudor Belutse and Mykola Shaparenko all tested positive this week.

THEWILL believes that the possibility of the fixture taking place as scheduled on Wednesday, November 4 now depends on how the relevant section of the Rules about player unavailability and squad infection is interpreted.

According to UEFA Rules, Annex J is the relevant section as it is concerned with Rules Applicable to the Group Stage due to Covid-19 in UEFA’s Regulations of the UEFA Champions League. The annex outlines the situation in which a game can be postponed.

The section on testing and player eligibility reads as follows:

“If one or more players or officials of a club test positive for Covid-19 in the tests required by the UEFA Return to Play Protocol, the match will take place as scheduled unless the national/local authorities of one or both clubs involved or of where the match will take place (in case of a neutral country) require a large group of players or the entire team to go into quarantine.

“Alternatively, the club may field players who have not been registered with UEFA within the deadlines stipulated in the present regulations, provided that these players (i) are duly registered with their national association as playing for the club concerned in accordance with the association’s own rules and those of FIFA and (ii) are tested negative in accordance with the UEFA Return to Play Protocol.

“If it is not possible to reschedule the match within the final deadline set out in Annex J.3.1, the club that cannot play the match will be held responsible for the match not taking place and the match will be declared by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to be forfeited by the club, which will be considered to have lost the match 3-0.”

THEWILL hopes a resolution of the way forward happens swiftly to enable management and squad on both sides adequately prepare to compete optimally.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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