Austria’s football team has been granted a special dispensation from its government to land back in Vienna after next week’s friendly against England and avoid new restrictions on travel between the two countries.
Next Wednesday’s international in Middlesbrough, which is a warm-up for both teams ahead of the European Championship, had been thrown into doubt after new travel restrictions were imposed by the Austrian government on Tuesday.
But the Austrian football association (OFB) has secured a waiver to be able to travel to Britain for the match and then return home.
"The friendly international match between the national team and England as part of the preparations for Euro 2020 can take place as planned," a statement from the OFB on Thursday said.
“The Austrian selection has received special permission from the federal government for a landing after returning from England, without the imposition of quarantine either,” it added.
“The national team's trip to an international match as part of the preparations for the Euro was classified as in the national interest. The national team is, in any case, in a ‘bubble’ with no direct contact with outsiders and is, de facto, in hotel quarantine,” federation president Leo Windtner was quoted as saying.
“All team members are tested regularly. I am very happy that the conditions could be clarified with the politicians and authorities so quickly and that the focus can now be on the tournament,” he added.
Since Tuesday, Austria has imposed stricter restrictions on people entering from Britain and from next week banned direct flights from Britain over fears of the spread of the new Indian variant of the novel coronavirus.
The match is the first of two warm-ups for both countries before they begin the European Championship in mid-June.
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