As the two senior players and three FAI staff members previously stranded in Bratislava make their way home, the Irish Under-21 side’s trip to Pisa for Tuesday’s European Championship game has been thrown into doubt after two Italian players tested positive for coronavirus.
The five members of the party that travelled for Thursday night’s Euro2020 play-off semi-final were on Friday making their way back to Ireland.
Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah had to be withdrawn from the game after an association staff member they sat close to on the plane on the way over subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Two other staff members, also regarded as "close contacts" of the person who tested positive were also forced to quarantine.
Stephen Kenny said after the game that the two players were "fine, perfectly well," and the staff member who tested positive is said to be asymptomatic.
The staging of the Under-21 game on Tuesday has been thrown into doubt, meanwhile, after two Italian players and one member of that federation’s staff tested positive for coronavirus in Iceland.
The game between the two sides - who currently sit second and third in their European qualifying group behind Ireland - has been postponed but it is not clear whether the Italian squad will be immediately allowed to travel back for the Irish match.
“The Under-21 match is postponed due to cases of Covid in the Italian group,” the Italian association confirmed in a statement. “The match between the Under-21 men’s national teams of Iceland and Italy in the qualifiers for the European Championship, which should have been played this Friday at Vikingsvollur, has been postponed to a later date due to a Covid infection found in the Italian group.”
All of those who tested positive had apparently tested negative three times, between the squad meeting up back in Italy, and flying out for the game.
