November 12 – The English Football Association is pleading with the government to grant a travel exemption to Iceland for their Nations League match at Wembley Stadium next Wednesday.
A new strain of coronavirus in Denmark, where Iceland play on Sunday, means entry to UK is prohibited under current guidelines and in recent days Albania has been touted as a possible neutral venue for what is rapidly becoming a serious problem.
The entire Iceland squad would be unable to enter the UK since entry from Denmark is currently banned for non-British residents because of the new strain linked to mink farms. The FA has now confirmed they have been lobbying for “elite athlete exemption” on Iceland’s behalf.
“We have asked Government to consider allowing us to play our final UEFA Nations League match at Wembley Stadium, by giving travel exemption to the Icelandic team subject to strict medical protocols,” read an FA statement.
Any exemption to the Iceland team would be “subject to strict medical protocols”, the FA pledged.
“We have agreed with the Icelandic team that they arrive on private charter to a private terminal and will only have access to their hotel and the stadium. We will also put in place additional testing over and above the multiple tests normally required for each participant and staff at the match.”
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