LONDON: England players Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were sent home and dropped for Tuesday’s game against Denmark after breaching coronavirus rules in Iceland.
Social media video was published in Reykjavik purporting to show the players meeting women from outside the team bubble after the youngsters made their England debuts in the 1-0 victory against Iceland in the Nations League on Saturday.
The players did not leave the team hotel but still breached the protocols that have been put in place to ensure national teams could play their first international matches since the pandemic was declared in March.
“I made a poor decision and my behavior didn’t meet the standards expected of me,” the 20-year-old Foden said in an apology statement. “I breached COVID-19 protocols put in place to protect myself and my England colleagues.
“As a consequence I will now miss the opportunity to travel to Denmark with the squad, and that hurts. I will learn a valuable lesson from this error in judgment.”
The England traveling group, which is regularly tested for COVID-19, was exempt from the Icelandic requirements to quarantine for five days on arrival.
“They have been naive,” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “We are very clear that no other members of our party have been in contact with those two players. That’s why they couldn’t go to breakfast this morning or join us for training. We are very clear we have followed all the guidelines in that regard.”
The English Football Association said it was launching an investigation into the breach.
“We have spoken to the Football Association of Iceland to offer our apologies for this incident and to ensure them that we are taking the appropriate steps,” the FA said. “We have also assured the Danish Football Union that all other players and staff members have been isolated within our group throughout this period.”
Both players will return to their clubs in Manchester.
Manchester United said it was “disappointed” by the conduct of the 18-year-old Greenwood.
Foden’s conduct was branded “totally inappropriate” by his club, Manchester City.
“His behavior not only directly contravenes strict guidelines related to COVID-19, but also falls well below the standard expected of a Manchester City player and England international,” City said in a statement. “The club supports the FA regarding this incident, and officials from the club are now in touch in relation to Phil’s enforced early return to the UK”
The need for players to limit the risk of being infected was highlighted on Monday by City also announcing that two players — Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte — tested positive for the coronavirus.
The players have not displayed any symptoms and are in self-isolation two weeks before City starts their season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sept. 21.
The Premier League announced on Monday that of 1,605 tests conducted in the last week on players and staff at the 20 clubs, three were positive.
England drop Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood for COVID-19 rule breaches in Iceland
https://arab.news/jug5u
England drop Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood for COVID-19 rule breaches in Iceland
- Social media video was published in Reykjavik purporting to show the players meeting women from outside the team bubble
Kane scores as Bayern deliver comeback romp over Leipzig
- The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund
- Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break
LEIPZIG, Germany: Harry Kane scored his 21st goal of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich came from behind to win 5-1 at RB Leipzig on Saturday.
The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, while continuing their record-breaking campaign.
Unbeaten Bayern have dropped just four points on their way to a record-equalling tally of 50 after 18 games. Bayern’s total of 71 goals scored is also a record at this stage of a German league season.
Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break, Serge Gnabry, Kane, Jonathan Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olize all scoring.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said Leipzig were “twice as good as we were” in the opening half, adding “but in the second-half — my god, the boys delivered.
“We weren’t afraid and we really went for it.”
Leipzig goalscorer Romulo said “we played 75 minutes really on top, then I don’t know what happened, we turned off our minds. We have to learn something out of that.”
Leipzig were strong early and broke through after 20 minutes when Romulo snuck past Bayern’s Tah to poke in an Antonio Nusa pass from close range.
The hosts were undone in the simplest fashion just after half-time. Dayot Upamecano picked Christoph Baumgartner’s pocket and fed Gnabry, who guided the ball into the bottom corner.
Bayern took the lead after 67 minutes, once again thanks to a Leipzig mistake.
Olize’s floated cross looked harmless until Ridle Baku lost his footing, allowing an unmarked Kane time and space to blast home.
With Leipzig’s resistance broken, Tah, Pavlovic and Olize all scored in the final 10 minutes, while Jamal Musiala returned late off the bench after a six-month injury absence.
- Can rescues Dortmund -
Earlier, an Emre Can penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time saved Borussia Dortmund’s blushes in a 3-2 home win against lowly St. Pauli.
In the dying moments, VAR found a foul on Germany forward Maximilian Beier, bringing Dortmund captain Can to the spot.
“What a rollercoaster ride,” Can told Sky Germany.
“We need to do much better to settle things down and to convert our chances,” he added.
The hosts overcame a poor first half when Julian Brandt tapped in from close range just before the break. Having created the opener, Karim Adeyemi gave Dortmund a two-goal buffer in the 54th minute, converting a Fabio Silva assist.
Rock-bottom St. Pauli had won just once since September but fought back into the game when James Sands and Ricky-Jade Jones scored inside 10 minutes midway through the second half to stun the hosts.
Deep into stoppage time, Jones caught Beier on the edge of the penalty area, allowing Can to convert nervelessly from the spot.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim’s Wouter Burger scored the only goal in a 1-0 home win over flailing Bayer Leverkusen to climb past Leipzig into third in the table.
Burger swung in an excellent free-kick after nine minutes to give the hosts the three points.
“That was an important one,” Burger said of his free-kick. “I was practicing them a bit this morning.”
Relegation candidates last season, Hoffenheim are on track to qualify for Europe’s top competition for just the second time in their history, having last done so under now-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann in 2017/18.
Leverkusen have now lost four of their past six, falling three points behind the Champions League placings.
Cologne beat Mainz 2-1 at home, Wolfsburg played out a 1-1 home draw with Heidenheim and hosts Hamburg were held to a scoreless draw by Borussia Moenchengladbach.
