January 01, (THEWILL) – The reluctance of UEFA to abide by European vaccination laws could mean that Champions League Round of 16 fixtures for English sides Chelsea and Liverpool may very likely be shifted to neutral grounds.
As THEWILL reported, the Blues are drawn against Lille, the French champions, while the Reds are up against Inter, the Scudetto holders.
However, both English teams may be obliged to play at least one of their last 16 Champions League games at a neutral venue for the second season in a row.
This is because professional athletes arw required to have a COVID passport in order to enter venues in France and Italy under new regulations set, which could be problematic given the low vaccination rates among players in England.
In December, the Premier League announced that 77% of top-flight players had been double-jabbed against the coronavirus, with 84% receiving at least one dosage – numbers that were significantly lower than those seen in other major sports leagues across the world.
UEFA is unwilling to make vaccination mandatory for players and staff, and current regulations indicate that the fixture must be completed as long as 13 players (including one goalie) are eligible for selection. However, fixtures may be shifted elsewhere to avoid government-imposed immunisation limits.
On Sunday, Chelsea and Liverpool will meet in a crunch Premier League tie, with both teams suffering from the impacts of the Omicron wave.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
