England manager Gareth Southgate will face problems due to players called up for the World Cup who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Athletes with this “restriction” will have to undergo tests every three days, and if they have to comply with quarantine upon arrival in the World Cup host country, they may be disqualified from the opening match against Iran.
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Covid regulations in Qatar currently require unvaccinated visitors to spend five days in quarantine at their hotel. The English are due to arrive at their luxury complex, Souq Al Wakrah, on November 15, ahead of the opening match on November 21.
Under the rules, any player who has not been vaccinated will miss training at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, a six-minute drive from his place of residence, and return to preparations the day before the match.
However, according to The Times, Qatar is expected to relax the rules for the 2022 World Cup. Although no decision was taken by the local authorities, they indicated that the players who participated in the Arab Football Cup in December did not. To isolate themselves, however, they were required to perform rapid antigen tests every three days and before each match.
The news will come as a relief to the unvaccinated players and England manager Gareth Southgate. Despite encouragement from FIFA, FA, Premier League and clubs, some players are reluctant to get a Covid vaccine and are left unprotected.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed his frustration with his midfielders, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who were unable to travel in the club’s pre-season to the United States because they did not meet the entry requirements for vaccination. They were left behind to train with players from the Under-21 team.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said: “We can’t force that. At the moment, receiving a vaccination is a very normal decision. Both players have made the decision not to. We have to follow the rules. They cannot join us. . They know the consequences.”
