Germany bars Liverpool from entering country for Champions League match against Leipzig - The Globe and Mail

Players warm up ahead of a match between RB Leipzig and VfL Bochum in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 3, 2021.

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images

Germany will not allow Liverpool into the country to play a Champions League game at Leipzig on Feb. 16 because of border restrictions imposed over new variants of the coronavirus.

The German Interior Ministry confirmed Thursday that an application by Leipzig for special permission for Liverpool to enter the country was refused by federal police, the dpa news agency reported.

That means the game, the first leg of the round of 16, can’t be played as scheduled on Feb. 16 in Leipzig. The German club could ask UEFA to move the game to a neutral venue. Switching the order of the legs so that Liverpool plays at home first could also be an option, but would likely require Leipzig’s players and staff to go into quarantine on their return to Germany from Britain.

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UEFA is open to delaying games affected by travel bans. On Tuesday it set April 2 as the latest possible date to finish last-16 games in time for the quarterfinals.

Germany is blocking most arrivals of non-residents from Britain to restrict the spread of new variants of the virus. If the travel restrictions — which don’t contain any exemptions for sports — are extended beyond the current expiry date of Feb. 17, Manchester City’s first-leg trip to play Borussia Mnchengladbach on Feb. 24 could be affected.

In the Europa League, Arsenal’s home and away games against Benfica may be affected by British restrictions on travel to and from Portugal.

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2021-02-04 18:21:09Z
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