The Latest: Dutch king draws criticism for visiting fans
The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
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Dutch King Willem-Alexander’s visit to an orange-decorated street in The Hague during the European Championship has garnered criticism for mingling a little too closely with soccer fans.
The head of the House of Orange visited the street on Thursday as the Netherlands played Austria at the delayed Euro 2020.
The king was seen shaking the hand of at least one person and not sticking to the country’s 1.5-meter social distancing rules in a video posted on social media and photos of the visit.
Caretaker Minister for Medical Care and Sport Tamara van Ark says “we didn’t introduce 1.5-meter social distancing for nothing.”
She adds that “you see that it sometimes goes wrong. I think out of enthusiasm.”
It is not the first time the Dutch monarch has been criticized during the COVID-19 pandemic. He apologized last year for taking his family on vacation to Greece. The family hurried home after a public outcry.
The vacation did not breach coronavirus restrictions but it came just days after the Dutch government introduced what it called a “partial lockdown” in a bid to rein in soaring infections.
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Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer is back with his national team after visiting his wife and their new-born daughter in Germany.
Sommer posted a photo on his Instagram account with the message “Welcome to the family little sister NAYLA.” The family now has two daughters.
Sommer flew to Cologne after playing in Rome in Switzerland’s 3-0 loss to Italy.
The Swiss soccer federation posted footage of Sommer’s return to training in Rome. The team flies later in the day to Azerbaijan for its final Group A game.
Switzerland needs a win over Turkey to advance to the round of 16.
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Dejan Kulusevski is among Sweden’s substitutes for the team’s European Championship match against Slovakia after completing his isolation period following a positive test for the coronavirus.
The Juventus winger tested positive for COVID-19 three days before the start of the tournament and missed Sweden’s 0-0 draw against Spain on Monday.
Mattias Svanberg was another Sweden player to get the virus ahead of Euro 2020. The midfielder is not ready to play against Slovakia in St. Petersburg.
Slovakia defender Denis Vavro will miss the game after testing positive for the virus after checks on Wednesday.
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Sergio Busquets will rejoin the Spain squad at the European Championship after testing negative for the coronavirus.
Busquets had been in isolation since June 6 because of a positive result for COVID-19.
The Spanish soccer federation says Busquets latest negative test result came back Thursday so he will be allowed to be back with the team.
The federation says he will be in Seville for Saturday’s match against Poland. Spain opened its Euro 2020 campaign with a 0-0 draw against Sweden in Group E.
Diego Llorente had also gone into isolation because of the coronavirus but the defender had already rejoined the squad after health officials determined his test result was a false-positive.
Busquets is Spain’s most veteran player in the squad. He is the only one left from the World Cup-winning squad in 2010.
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UEFA is in talks with the British government about allowing foreign fans to fly into London for games in the latter stages of the European Championship.
European soccer’s governing body still has a contingency plan which involves taking the semifinals and final to Budapest if an agreement cannot be reached with authorities in London about entry for fans.
Plans to lift more coronavirus restrictions in England this month have been paused until July 19. Tourists from all participating countries have to quarantine for at least five days when entering Britain at the moment.
The Euro 2020 semifinals and final are scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium from June 6-11.
UEFA says “we understand the pressures that the government face and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion of our discussions on the matter.”
UEFA has already secured a rise in attendance from about 22,000 to at least 40,000 for one round of 16 game, the semifinals and the final at Wembley.
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England will be back at Wembley Stadium to play its second match of the European Championship on Day 8 of the tournament.
The English will face old rival Scotland knowing another victory will give the team a spot in the round of 16.
The first match of the day will be between Sweden and Slovakia in St. Petersburg. The Slovaks can advance with a victory.
The Czech Republic can also ensure advancement by beating World Cup runner-up Croatia in Glasgow.
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