Austria tie could be switched
Scotland’s opening World Cup opponents, Austria, will decide this week whether to demand the Hampden tie is switched to a neutral venue because they could be minus up to 18 players who are with German clubs.
The Austrians’ plans for the match on March 25 have been decimated because German authorities have completely banned any movement between their country and the UK without a 14-day quarantine on return.
No club will entertain that, and there are no exemptions, even for elite sportsmen.
Austria had 18 Germanbased players in their last squad, and the issue is further complicated by the fact the Austrian FA would have to negotiate with seven different German regions, who each have their own regulations.
So they will decide this week whether to lodge a request with FIFA and UEFA that the Scotland game be moved to a neutral venue.
Two qualifiers have already been moved due to Covid restrictions – Portugal v Azerbaijan will now be played in Turin, and Norway v Turkey will be played in Malaga.
Already, Eintracht Frankfurt have confirmed they will not release Martin Hinteregger and Stefan Ilsanker to play in Glasgow.
The Austrian FA are weighing up the decision against the fact they would almost certainly have to concede home advantage for their game against us on September 7, planned for Vienna, which would deny them valuable income.
If they go ahead with the tie at Hampden, they would almost certainly have to pick a home-based squad.
Their last squad in November for matches against Luxembourg, Northern Ireland and Norway had only eight players based in Austria – and three of them were keepers.
Austrian FA managing director, Bernhard Neuhold, said: “We are in close dialogue with the clubs concerned, who in turn are in contact with the respective health authorities.
“There are no hard-and-fast rules set by UEFA and FIFA about switching venues. We will shortly make a decision.”
SFA bosses have so far not received any official request for a venue change, but they are aware of the possibility.