Tuesday’s Nations League match between Switzerland and Ukraine in Lucerne has been called off following more positive Covid-19 tests in the visitors’ camp, UEFA has announced.
Ukraine had travelled to Switzerland following the 3-1 Group A4 defeat in Germany, which saw the squad depleted after previous positive tests for coronavirus.
It was reported a total of six Ukraine players had now returned positive tests – Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi and Shakhtar Donetsk team-mates Sergiy Kryvtsov and Junior Moraes, along with goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk, left-back Eduard Sobol and midfielder Yevgen Makarenko, who all had cases confirmed on Monday.
Following the latest development, UEFA said Swiss authorities decided to place the whole Ukrainian national team delegation into quarantine.
A statement from the European governing body read: “The Ukrainian Football Association confirmed they have no other team, ie eligible players, able to play the match, either today or tomorrow.
“The UEFA Nations League fixture between Switzerland and Ukraine, scheduled for today, Tuesday 17 November 2020, can therefore not take place.
“The matter will now be submitted to the UEFA control, ethics and disciplinary body for a decision to be taken in accordance with the special rules applicable to UEFA national team competition matches.
“UEFA would like to reinforce the importance for all teams, players, officials and all those involved to fully respect the UEFA Return to Play Protocol and the applicable regulatory framework.”
Switzerland are bottom of the table, three points behind Ukraine, and would have been bidding to avoid relegation to League B with victory in Lucerne on Tuesday night.
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