IFA agree travel plan for Rom ania tie
THE Northern Ireland Executive have afforded the Irish FA special dispensation to play their opening Nations League game against Romania in Bucharest next month — despite serious restrictions on travelling to the east European country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ian Baraclough and his squad are scheduled to take on Romania in less than four weeks’ time — on Friday, September 4 — before entertaining Norway at Windsor Park three days later and Uefa currently insist all games will go ahead as planned.
However, under UK government stipulations, only essential travel to Bucharest is advised and, as Romania is not on the exempt list, returning British nationals must quarantine for 14 days.
This would rule players out of not only the Norway match in Belfast but also the start of the new Premier League and Championship campaigns, beginning on September 12.
But the Irish FA have managed to persuade the Executive to excuse the Northern Ireland squad from the quarantine ruling provided they remain in a travel ‘bubble’.
An Irish FA spokesperson said: “We have been in regular dialogue with the Northern Ireland Executive around international travel regulations released last month, as part of preparations for upcoming away games.”
• NORTHERN Ireland defender Nat Johnson has signed for Sheffield United from Leicester City.
Johnson made over 100 appearances with the Foxes across two spells at the club.
The 26-year-old started her career in Leicester’s Centre of Excellence, going on to spend several seasons in the first team before moving to play and study for four years at college in South Carolina. Johnson returned to the Foxes in 2016 where she remained until this summer, before signing for the Blades ahead of the new campaign.
She links up with international teammate Becky Flaherty at the Blades, who finished second in the FA Women’s Championship last season behind Aston Villa.