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England make desperate final plea to the Government to allow Nations League clash with Iceland to be played at Wembley… with coronavirus travel restrictions not allowing opposition to enter the UK after Denmark game
- England are scheduled to play Iceland next Wednesday but plans are in tatters
- Iceland play Denmark in Copenhagen first and currently aren’t allowed into UK
- That is due to new Covid rules than ban non-UK citizens coming in from Denmark
- FA have made desperate final plea for Government to give Iceland an exemption
The Football Association has asked the Government to allow England’s UEFA Nations League match against Iceland to be played at Wembley.
As it stands, the Iceland team are playing Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday and will therefore be subject to a travel ban into the UK due to coronavirus restrictions.
A ban was imposed on non-UK citizens coming from Denmark in the early hours of Saturday morning amid concerns over a new Covid-19 strain that has spread from mink to humans.
England’s players are waiting to hear news about their game against Iceland next Wednesday
Iceland could be denied entry to the UK by new rules as they travel to play Denmark on Sunday
Germany and Albania have both been mooted as potential destinations for the fixture if it is now allowed to go ahead in England as expected.
An FA statement read: ‘We have asked Government to consider allowing us to play our final UEFA Nations League match at Wembley Stadium, by giving travel exemption to the Icelandic team subject to strict medical protocols.
‘The Icelandic team will have played Denmark in Copenhagen and therefore would be subject to a travel ban.
‘While in Denmark they will have been under strict UEFA protocols in a sporting bubble and will be PCR tested before travelling to England. The PCR test picks up the Cluster 5 variant.’
The FA has said it will ensure the Icelandic team will be kept in a bio-secure bubble and would receive extra testing.
‘We have agreed with the Icelandic team that they arrive on private charter to a private terminal and will only have access to their hotel and the stadium,’ the governing body added.
The FA have now begged the Government to allow the match to go ahead at Wembley
England are hoping that Boris Johnson and the Government will issue Iceland an exemption
‘We will also put in place additional testing over and above the multiple tests normally required for each participant and staff at the match.’
Meanwhile, the FA will be required to foot the bill if the clash against Iceland is played at a neutral venue.
As Sportsmail revealed on Monday, Albania and Germany are neutral venue options if the match cannot go ahead as planned.
And the FA are facing the prospect of having to cover the hefty costs if it is played at an alternative venue, even though they believe the match shouldn’t be moved overseas.
Because the encounter against Iceland is deemed as England’s home match, UEFA regulations mean the FA have to pay for all related expenditure — including stadium costs, security and staffing.
It also means the FA would be required to pay extra travel and hotel costs for players and staff.
The news has irritated members of the FA, particularly given the £300million financial blackhole in the organisation’s budget caused by Covid.
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