KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Ukraine has failed in an appeal against UEFA’s ruling that the national team must forfeit the recent Nations Cup tie against Switzerland because of a Covid-19 quarantine order.

Positive test results within the Ukrainian national squad prompted the Swiss authorities to place the entire delegation in quarantine at the start of last week..

That meant calling off last Tuesday’s Nations League tie because Ukraine could not field a team. Ukraine protested against the ruling while UEFA’s control and disciplinary panel referred the issue directly to its appeals panel.

A UEFA statement said:

The Chairman of the UEFA Appeals Body today took decision . . . to declare the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League match between Switzerland and Ukraine, that was scheduled to be played on 17 November 2020, as forfeited by the Ukrainian Association of Football (who is therefore deemed to have lost the match 3-0) for being responsible for the match not taking place.

UEFA’s verdict is a warning shot to national associations about their own testing and quarantine precautions both in terms of the Nations League but also looking ahead to next year’s qualifying competition for the 2022 World Cup.

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