Euro 2020: What Happens If a Player Tests COVID-19 Positive?

The Euros will take place in 11 major cities across a month’s time in the middle of the pandemic.

With less than a week to go for what is a very unique edition of the European Championships, several players have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Spain’s Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente are among 6 players to have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the 11 June date of kick off.

Jasper Cillessen (Netherlands), John Fleck (Scotland), Dejan Kulusevski, Mattias Svanberg are the other players who tested positive. Cillessen however has withdrawn from the tournament.

The 2021 Euros, initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place in 11 major cities across a month's time in the middle of the pandemic.

So tightly packed is the calendar, that there may not be enough time to postpone matches in the tournament in case of positive tests.

However, UEFA has laid out a set of guidelines to address such situations:

• A scheduled match can be played even if a player/s are needed to be in mandatory quarantine or have to self-isolate given the affected team has at least 13 players available, including at least one goalkeeper. The said 13 players should have returned negative tests for COVID-19 and must follow UEFA protocol.
• If the team affected by COVID-19 can’t field a minimum of 13 players including a goalkeeper, UEFA may postpone the match to a later date. The previously decided 'home' team for the fixture will nevertheless handle organisation and all related match costs.
• In case a match cannot be rescheduled because of COVID-19 positive cases affecting a team, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will take a decision on the matter. Either the team responsible for the fixture not going forward will be declared to have to forfeit the game (0-3 loss) or the match result would need to be decided by a draw of lots (that is win 1-0, lose 0-1 or draw 0-0).
• In the event of an appointed match-official tests positive for COVID-19, UEFA may appoint replacement match officials who may be of the same nationality as one of the participating teams.

The tournament kicks off in Rome with Italy playing Turkey and will finish at Wembley.