LAST UPDATE | 5 Sep 2020
SCOTLAND’S NATIONS LEAGUE match against the Czech Republic on Monday will go ahead as scheduled, Uefa have confirmed.
Steve Clarke’s plans were thrown into disarray late on Friday night when the Czech FA declared the fixture set to be staged in Olomouc had been called off amid a coronavirus threat.
But European football’s governing body insists the game will be played.
And in a further twist this afternoon, an announcement from the Czech national team read: “Monday’s Nations League match between the Czech Republic and Scotland will go ahead as planned after negotiations between the Czech FA and Uefa representatives.
“The Czech team will consist from new players and staff members.”
In a statement to the PA news agency, a Uefa spokesman said: “The match is going ahead as scheduled.”
Clarke’s squad were due to travel to Olomouc on Sunday. The squad’s training session at their Oriam training base on the outskirts of Edinburgh is to go ahead on Saturday afternoon as scheduled.
The Czech’s plans for their Nations League opener with Slovakia on Friday night were affected after West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek and RB Leipzig striker Patrik Schick were told to self-isolate following contact with a backroom staff member who tested positive for the virus.
The Czech FA delayed the departure for Bratislava by 24 hours while the entire squad was retested and the players made the 200-mile journey by road after splitting up into small groups.
However, after their opening 3-1 win, the Czech FA announced the team would not be facing the Scots “due to representatives’ decision and the current situation with the Covid-19”.
Friday night’s declaration took the Scottish Football Association by surprise.
But the Czechs knew they risked forfeiting points if they decided not take to the field on Monday night, hence their decision this afternoon to find a completely new set of players.
UEFA last week announced principles for scenarios where Covid-19 affected fixtures, stating that a game would go ahead as long as a team had at least 13 players available, including a goalkeeper.
If a national team does not have 13 players, the match will be rescheduled, and if it cannot then UEFA’s disciplinary body will take a decision.
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