Scotland’s Nations League match against the Czech Republic on Monday will go ahead as scheduled, UEFA has said. 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. In a statement to the PA news agency, a spokesman said: “The match is going ahead as scheduled.”
Clarke’s squad were due to travel to Olomouc on Sunday after a training session at their Oriam training base on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The Czech Republic’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 re-tested and the players made the 200-mile journey by road after splitting up into small groups.
The Czech FA had earlier 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 had taken the Scottish Football Association by surprise.
The Czechs risk forfeiting points should they not take to the field on Monday night. 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.
