Football Football 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 Team Sportstar 15 January, 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) Team Sportstar 15 January, 2021 17:07 IST 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| Real Madrid sends Luka Jovic back to Frankfurt on loan 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. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address.