A friendly match that the soccer teams of Japan and Jamaica were to play on June 3 in Sapporo, in the north of the Asian country, has been canceled after half of the Jamaican team was denied boarding by their Japantest PCR.
“Of the 20 players who were scheduled to participate in the match, 10 and the rest of the staff entered Japan following the mandatory procedure, but with 10 players an international match cannot be played so we have decided to cancel it,” said Tuesday the Japan Football Association (JFA) in a statement.
The agency explained that the 10 players “could not board the scheduled flight and arrive in Japan on May 31, three days before the game,” as required, because they did not comply with “the strict measures to prevent epidemics against covid.” taken for the annual friendly tournament, the Kirin Cup.
According to information published by the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, six of the ten affected are members of British teams who were not allowed to board their connecting flight in Amsterdam because the PCR necessary to enter Japan did not meet the criteria required the authorities of the Japanese archipelago.
Japan does not accept any negative test on covid-19. Nasopharyngeal or saliva culture PCRs are valid, but not of the pharynx or certain areas of the throat, such as those that were in the possession of some of the Jamaican players.
The test certificate also requires a specific format and includes certain information that, if not included, is not accepted.
The reason why the rest of the players did not arrive is unknown.
The Jamaican team was scheduled to play three friendly matches: the canceled one in Sapporo, another against Serbia on June 7 in Kobe (west) and another against the Japanese Olympic team on June 12 in Nagoya (center). The JFA has not ruled on the last two.
The problem with the Japanese border controls due to the covid is known the same day that the first foreign Olympic team, the Australian women’s softball team, arrived in the country, less than two months before the start of the Tokyo Games. EFE (HN)