FIFA boss: Health will be the priority
GIANNI INFANTINO says FIFA will do whatever is necessary to help curb the spread of the coronavirus – and refused to rule out postponing internationals.
Scotland are due to face Israel in the Euro 2020 play-off semi at Hampden on March 26, while England have warm-up games arranged against Italy and Denmark at Wembley next month, with Wales set to play Austria and USA.
And while the FIFA president is hopeful all the matches will still go ahead, Infantino said: “I wouldn’t exclude anything at this moment.
“I hope we will never have to get into this direction.
“It will be difficult in any case to make a global ban because the situation is really different.
“The health of persons is much more important than any football game.
“That’s why we have to look at the situation and hope it will decrease. At the moment it looks like it is still increasing.”
Infantino, speaking in Belfast ahead of today’s agm of the International Football Association Board, added: “If games have to be postponed or played without spectators until it is over then we have to go through that.”
This weekend’s matches in the top two Swiss divisions were postponed yesterday after a government ban on events involving more than 1000 people, while in Italy five Serie A games will be played behind closed doors.
The leagues in Japan and Korea were postponed earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Danish cyclist Michael Morkov, who began the nowcancelled UAE Tour, has been confined to his hotel room in Berlin after his arrival for the Track Cycling World Championships.
The UCI are awaiting news of tests involving two UAE staff members, with one result negative but the other still unknown.