SCOTLAND manager Steve Clarke will not attend tonight’s Nations League draw in Amsterdam as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Scottish Football Association has confirmed that Clarke will not be exposed to “unnecessary risk” as he cannot be replaced at short notice.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke could see his team play behind closed doorsCredit: PA:Press Association
An SFA spokesman said: “On the back of the first response meeting, it was determined by the group that the national coach attending was an unnecessary risk.”
Hampden Park chiefs are now bracing themselves for Scotland’s Euro 2020 play-off against Israel being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus crisis.
SunSport understands there were genuine fears Clarke could be stuck in the Netherlands if travel restrictions are tightened in the next 48 hours.
Uefa held crisis talks on the worldwide outbreak yesterday and are determined this month’s play-offs will go ahead.
Follow our latest coronavirus live blog HERE for all the news and updates.
But Scotland, who take on Israel on March 26 in front of an expected sellout crowd at Hampden, fear being forced to play the games without any fans in the stadium, to minimise the chances of the virus spreading.
SunSport has reported that Premier League and FA bosses are planning for games behind closed doors if the coronavirus spreads.
While Uefa chiefs spent just “two minutes” discussing the potential impact of the growing crisis at a meeting here, English football is taking the threat more seriously.
Contingency options are now being drafted, with the prospect of games in the remainder of the season being played with no fans inside the grounds.
Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland to prepare for ‘significant outbreak’ of Coronavirus
Liverpool supporters had feared that the Reds would not be crowned champions if coronavirus wiped out the end of the season.
SunSport understands the FA will accept all government advice and not put up any arguments to contradict the views of health experts.
If health chiefs were to order the postponements for a short period, games could still be rescheduled to complete the season on time.
But if the embargo were to be any longer, playing behind closed doors would become a serious option.
Serie A games were called off at the weekend as the virus grips Italy, while the Swiss league has been suspended for three weeks.
Rangers are monitoring developments ahead of their Europa League trip to Bayer Leverkusen, with cases quickly multiplying in Germany.
After the first coronavirus case in Scotland was confirmed by health chiefs, a new response group will assess whether or not domestic games north of the border can go ahead.
The global death toll from the coronavirus has now exceeded 3,000.
The overwhelmingly majority of the deaths – 2,912 – have been in mainland China, where the outbreak began in December.
The virus has now infected over 88,000 people on across every continent except Antarctica.
WHAT IS CORONAVIRUS?
CORONAVIRUS is an airborne virus, spread in a similar way to colds and the flu.
The virus attacks the respiratory system, causing lung lesions.
Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches.
It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches.
In most cases, you won’t know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus.
But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract (your windpipe and your lungs), it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.
There is no vaccine for coronavirus.
In 2003 an outbreak of a similar virus, SARS, infected more than 8,000 people in 37 countries before it was brought under control, killing 800 of those worldwide.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
