Auckland City FC withdraws from FIFA Club World Cup

Despite FIFA’s regular exchanges with the concerned authorities, the requirements of the New Zealand authorities in relation to isolation and quarantine go beyond FIFA’s remit

Published : Jan 15, 2021 17:07 IST

The draw to finalise the pairings of the tournament will take place in Zurich on 19 January at 8:30 pm IST. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
The draw to finalise the pairings of the tournament will take place in Zurich on 19 January at 8:30 pm IST. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
lightbox-info

The draw to finalise the pairings of the tournament will take place in Zurich on 19 January at 8:30 pm IST. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

Auckland City FC on Friday informed FIFA that that it will be unable to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities.

Despite FIFA’s regular exchanges with the club, New Zealand Football and the OFC in recent days, the requirements of the New Zealand authorities in relation to isolation and quarantine go beyond FIFA’s remit and, therefore, it was not possible to reach a solution.

FIFA together with the Qatari authorities, will implement a comprehensive medical and security protocol providing the safeguards required to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the competition.

ALSO READ|

Following the withdrawal of Auckland City, the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will be contested by Al-Duhail SC, Al Ahly SC, FC Bayern Munich, Ulsan Hyundai FC, Tigres UANL and the winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores final scheduled for 30 January. The first round match will no longer take place and Al Duhail SC will begin the competition in the second round. The competition format remains otherwise unchanged.

The draw to finalise the pairings will take place in Zurich on 19 January at 8:30 pm IST.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment