All Whites anxious as Covid-19 hits two teams at World Cup qualifying tournament

The All Whites will bid farewell to a handful of A-League Men players after their second game of the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament, against Fiji on Tuesday.

But if the national men’s squad was to be affected by Covid-19, coach Danny Hay said he would be straight on the phone to those players’ clubs, hoping he could get them flown back to Qatar at short notice.

Hay does not want Covid-19 deciding which nation progresses through to the intercontinental playoff against the fourth place team from North and Central America and the Caribbean, after it has already caused major disruption at the tournament, with two teams impacted on the other side of the draw.

Vanuatu were forced to withdraw without kicking a ball following an outbreak in their squad on the eve of their opening game against Tahiti, while the Cook Islands were unable to field a team for their second game, also against Tahiti, and are now set to be eliminated after losing to the Solomon Islands in their first game.

The All Whites had a friendly against Uzbekistan cancelled earlier in the year after Covid-19 crept into their camp, but the stakes are much higher now, needing to win the tournament to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive.

As a precaution, the New Zealand players and coaching staff have undergone daily rapid antigen testing since they arrived in Qatar and are only leaving their hotel when they have to, for training and for games.

“Of course [we are worried],” Hay said. “We went through that ourselves in January when we were in Dubai and obviously missed a game because of that.

“We’re trying to take every precaution that we can, but that’s not to say the unthinkable won’t happen. It’s still very much a risk. We’ve just got to do what we can to negate that creeping its way in.”

Teams at the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament can name their match-day squad as late as 24 hours before each game, which gives the All Whites some flexibility if they need to rush in extra players.

“Of course [we are worried],” Hay said. “We went through that ourselves in January when we were in Dubai and obviously missed a game because of that.

“We’re trying to take every precaution that we can, but that’s not to say the unthinkable won’t happen. It’s still very much a risk. We’ve just got to do what we can to negate that creeping its way in.”

Teams at the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament can name their match-day squad as late as 24 hours before each game, which gives the All Whites some flexibility if they need to rush in extra players.

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