PARIS (Dispatches) - Several World Cup football qualifying matches scheduled to be played in China will be moved to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, after coronavirus infections in the Syria and Maldives teams, officials said Tuesday.
Seven Asian qualifying Group A fixtures involving China, Syria, Maldives, the Philippines and Guam are affected, playing further havoc with the already heavily disrupted Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The Chinese Football Association originally said on Monday the fixtures would be moved to Dubai, but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) clarified Tuesday they would take place in neighboring Sharjah.
The match schedule will be confirmed after discussions with the participating teams, the AFC said in a statement.
The games were supposed to be played over the next fortnight in a biosecure “bubble” in the Chinese city of Suzhou.
According to China’s Titan Sports, the Maldives and Syria are in Dubai and were denied permission to depart for China.