Travel rule relaxed for Napoli trio

LEICESTER City’s Europa League opponents Napoli will not have to leave players in Italy after the UK government granted quarantine exemptions to footballers, writes Amie Wilson.

Napoli were set to take on City in the group-stage opener on Thursday without goalkeeper David Ospina, striker Victor Osimhen, and defender Amir Rrahmani after they represented their countries in red-list territories over the international break.

Previously, the trio would have had to isolate for 10 days upon their arrival, but on Monday, the government changed their rules, and any elite sportsperson who has travelled through a red-list country for a sporting event and thereafter comes to the UK will now not have to quarantine.

The news will be a relief for Napoli and their president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who had written to both UEFA and Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an attempt to get clearance for the three players.

When the issue emerged last week, there were initial reports from Italy that a neutral venue for the game may be sought, but later, Napoli appealed to authorities to secure exemptions for their players.

“We are battling against Covid, against the national and football institutions,” De Laurentiis had told DAZN over the weekend, before the UK government made the changes.

“Now we hope to get our players accepted by Boris Johnson because it would be absurd to go to England without a goalkeeper or even Osimhen.

The rule change also means City will not have to play in a neutral venue if one of their Europa League away matches happens to take place in a red-list nation.