Matildas’ relief as Olympic qualifier venue moved over virus concerns
Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams has spoken of the team’s relief at the switching of their Olympic qualifiers away from the Chinese city at the centre of a global health alert.
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Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams has spoken of the team’s relief at the switching of their Olympic qualifiers away from the Chinese city at the centre of a global health alert.
The Australian team will now play games against Chinese Taipei, Thailand and China in the city of Nanjing the week after next, after the Asian Football Confederation moved the qualifying tournament away from Wuhan.
A mystery virus originating in Wuhan has now killed 17 people and infected nearly 600. A seafood market selling wild animals is the suspected source of the virus, and Wuhan has now been put into lockdown with all transport links suspended.
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The outbreak of the so-called coronavirus – one that spreads from animals to humans – has now spread across Asia and to the United States, and the Australian footballers’ union had been urging AFC to move the games.
Nanjing is 550km away from Wuhan, far enough away to put the players’ minds at rest, and Williams said the decision to relocate has eased the minds of her teammates.
“We didn’t know how serious it was until Wednesday night, then obviously the World Health Organisation was saying it’s a national emergency,” Williams said.
“It’s good to see that we’re not going to Wuhan.”
The Australian credited the Matildas staff for not alarming the team as the crisis unfolded.
“We were kept in the dark, I think for a good reason, our federation, while FIFA and the AFC were all in discussions about our Plan B,” Williams said.
“But our staff really did a top job of communicating and making sure that, until they had something concrete, they weren’t going to comment on it.”
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Australia’s games will be on February 3 (Chinese Taipei), 6 (Thailand) and 9 (China) with the top two teams in the group facing a home-and-away playoff in March for a place at the Olympics.
An Olympic boxing qualifying tournament due to be held in Wuhan at the same time as the football matches has been cancelled, with no alternative plans put in place for now, even though Thailand had offered to stage the bouts.