Lausanne (AFP)

A preliminary round match of the 2020-2021 Champions League, scheduled for Tuesday in Switzerland between a club from Kosovo and another from Northern Ireland, has been canceled after two cases of Covid-19 in the Kosovar team then placed in quarantine, UEFA announced.

The cancellation of this meeting of the preliminary round of the upcoming edition of the C1 comes on the eve of the "Final 8" of the 2019-2020 Champions League played in Lisbon.

This meeting between KF Drita (Kosovo) and FC Linfield (Northern Ireland) was to be played on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Nyon, on facilities located next to the UEFA headquarters.

But after the revelation of a second positive case of Covid-19 in the Kosovar training, "the Swiss authorities, in cooperation with UEFA", have decided to place Drita's team in quarantine, the European body said. in its press release.

Tests carried out on the entire team before arriving in Switzerland were negative.

A first positive case was reported on Friday and the player was placed in quarantine, on the eve of the match won by Drita against Inter Club d'Escaldes (Andorra).

On Saturday, the Linfield club had beaten the Tre Fiori (San Marino). The two matches were also played in Nyon.

The fate of the meeting scheduled for Tuesday but which cannot proceed will be submitted to the disciplinary body of UEFA.

According to UEFA protocol, in order to play, a team must have 13 healthy players. If a team does not have thirteen footballers on the previously submitted "A list" of eligible players, UEFA "may authorize the rescheduling of the match".

If the match cannot be rescheduled, the team that cannot field 13 players "will be held responsible" and have the match lost by a score of 3 to 0.

© 2020 AFP