‘All international football should be postponed’

FIFA says it is working on rescheduling qualifying matches for 2022 World Cup

PARIS: FIFA on Friday recommended that all international football matches scheduled for March and April be postponed due to the spread of the new coronavirus.

Falling short of banning matches outright, world football's governing body said that clubs would be allowed to refuse to send their players to national squad gatherings in March and April.

FIFA also said that it was working on rescheduling qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup in both Asia and South America which have been postponed.

"All international matches previously scheduled to take place in March and April should now be postponed until such time that they can take place in a safe and secure environment," FIFA said.

FIFA added that the "final decision" on any postponements "rests with the respective competition organisers or relevant member association in case of friendlies".

FIFA rules normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches, but this rule has been temporarily reversed.

"In light of the current situation concerning the Coronavirus, FIFA has decided that general football rules which normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches will not apply for the up-coming international windows in March/April," the statement said.

Meanwhile, two players at second-division club Troyes became the first French footballers to test positive for the new coronavirus on Friday.

"One player from the senior team and one from the academy have contracted the coronavirus — COVID-19," the club announced on Twitter.

"The two players were immediately placed in isolation in their homes. The whole club remains under medical supervision," Troyes added on their website.

The announcement came just a few hours after the French league suspended all Ligue 1 and second-tier games "until further notice".