Two clubs in quarantine after match – VG

The player numbers of the Obosliga clubs Grorud and Stjørdals-Blink are in quarantine after a Grorud player has been diagnosed with corona infection. This has consequences for the term list.

Magnus Nordstrand Myntevik, head of NFF’s medical council, confirms to VG that one of the Grorud players is corona infected. The person in question developed symptoms and became ill shortly after the match between Grorud and Stjørdals-Blink this weekend. The Oslo club won 3–2.

– The infected person is in isolation, and both clubs, as well as the player’s close contacts, have been quarantined. So now we are working with infection tracking, says Myntevik.

In a press release on NFF’s website on Tuesday night, they state that the infected player received confirmation of the infection on Tuesday. Wednesday is the full round of the entire series, and Grorud played a match at home against Strømmen. On Saturday, they were to play an away match against Jerv, but now both Grorud and Stjørdals-Blink’s matches will be postponed.

– The clubs’ players can not compete in either training or matches, Myntevik emphasizes.

– Then we just have to watch if any of the other close contacts or players develop symptoms, he adds.

Before Wednesday’s round, Grorud is in 14th place in the Obosligaen and stands with 27 points after 24 games after Sunday’s victory against Blink. Six games remain of the season, and Grorud has seven points down to Kongsvinger in 15th place. There are 16 teams in the division, and the bottom two places give direct relegation to level three in Norway.

General manager Jon Ole Reinhardsen in Grorud tells VG that he does not know how the player in question has been infected.

– Has he been careless?

– We have followed the protocols we have to.

– Is he bad?

– He had symptoms and was therefore tested.

– What does this have to say for the completion of the season for Grorud’s part?

– This means that there will be a slightly closer match program. That’s what it’s going to be like.

– Are you equipped for it?

– Yes. Our players are ready for that. That is not the focus today. Now they are going home and being in quarantine for ten days.

– Is there any danger that more players have got it?

– There is always a danger, but there are no indications of it. We follow the guidelines we have received, says Grorud’s general manager.

Got no rule change

This is the second major case of infection in the Obosligaen this autumn. In September, a Jerv player tested positive for the coronavirus, and thus the entire squad had to be quarantined.

Recently, the Norwegian Football Association applied to change the current quarantine rules in the top clubs. NFF proposed the same arrangement as several of Europe’s other leagues: That only the infected player / manager had to go through the quarantine for ten days, while the others on the team (close contacts) could live as usual if they tested negative and were symptom-free.

To that end, the NFF received no from the health authorities – and therefore everyone in the squad of the two Obosliga clubs must now go through a ten-day involuntary football break.

Coach Roar Vikvang in Stjørdals-Blink says that the whole team was on the training field on Tuesday afternoon when they were told that they would instead be quarantined.

– Yes, we were now out training when the article came. But now we have had a medical department inside that has been in contact with NFF and received further information, says Vikvang.

The corona infection and the postponements mean that there will be more hanging matches in the division, which could potentially have major consequences for the table and the outcome of the season. Right now, the last round of the series is scheduled for 5 December.

The infection trend in Norway is rising, and Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie (H) is looking seriously at the situation after 700 cases of infection were registered in the last 24 hours. He has already announced stricter measures.

In total, more than 21,000 people have been confirmed infected in Norway since the outbreak of coronavirus. It shows VG’s corona overview.

In Oslo, 1254 people have been infected during the last 14 days. Stjørdal municipality, like 66 other municipalities in Norway, has a rising infection trend. 19 people have been registered infected in the last 14 days.

The 26th round is played on 15 November. It is currently unclear whether this round will also be affected as a result of the infection in Grorud. In the press release, NFF states that they will return with more information about the matches that must be moved.

– It is unfortunate, but we must be prepared for such scenarios in these times. This is another reminder to all of us of how important it is to follow football’s protocols and the authorities’ advice on infection control. At the same time, I must emphasize that there is no suspicion of a breach of the protocol in this case, says Nils Fisketjønn, head of the competition department in NFF.