Euro 2020: Coronavirus rules could cause Germany team issues

Even as lockdowns begin to ease, cross-border restrictions could drastically impact some Premier League players for the German national team seeking to join their teammates for Euro 2020. There could also be big problems for several knockout matches, including the semifinals and final in London and a quarterfinal in Munich.

Required quarantine

Britain is seen by the German government as a coronavirus variant region. The Interior Ministry has confirmed to news agency DPA that professional athletes will not be exempt from new rules forcing German residents arriving from Britain to quarantine for two weeks. "The current regulations for entries from virus variant areas apply to all entries into Germany," a spokeswoman for the ministry said. "These rules also apply to professional football."

Six Germany players in the European Championship squad play for English clubs: Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno; Manchester City's Ilkay Gundohan; Chelsea trio Antonio Rüdiger, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner; and Leeds United's Robin Koch. The Chelsea and City players are in Portugal for this Saturday's Champions League final. From Friday, the Germany team is holding a training camp in Seefeld, Austria, until June 6, less than two weeks away. "We are aware of the complexity of the issue and the requirements. We are currently working on solutions," German national team spokesman Jens Grittner said.

Match-scheduling worries

In the current European Championship schedule, which runs from June 11 to July 11, one team from a last-16 match in London is meant to play its quarterfinal in Munich. Unless UEFA negotiates an exception, this game would seemingly not be able to take place as planned. London's Wembley Stadium is hosting the semifinals and finals of the Euros

Additionally, it would appear that Germany players would have to quarantine for two weeks on their return to Germany should they play in the latter stages in London. There may be other major knock-on effects for teams playing in London and Glasgow who may end up playing in Munich. Non-German residents are currently not allowed in at all if coming from Britain.

UEFA said it was looking into the matter. "It is a situation that is changing all the time," a spokesperson said. 

Virus variant

The German government classified Britain as a virus variant area from Sunday because a variant first discovered in India is spreading there. The two-week quarantine obligation which applies to German residents entering Germany from Britain cannot be shortened even with negative tests. The current German entry regulations do provide exceptions for travelers from risk areas, including participants in "international sporting events." But these do not apply to virus-variant areas, as Britain is currently considered.

The idea of playing the Euros across the continent was dreamed up long before the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament had to be delayed by a year because of the health crisis, but UEFA stuck to the multicountry format despite expected problems. Britain's vaccine success had appeared to work in UEFA's favor when it comes to the Wembley games, with the British government committing to a significant number of fans. But new COVID-19 cases have been ticking up recently in Britain because of the variant first seen in India, prompting Germany to impose the new rules over the weekend.

km/mp (dpa/Reuters)