Unvaccinated Real Madrid, Chelsea Players May Miss Champions League Ties In France

Real Madrid and Chelsea may be forced to leave any players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 at home for their Champions League matches in France.

Current COVID-19 restrictions in France mean there are no exemptions for unvaccinated professional athletes who want to enter the country.

Paris Saint-Germain will host Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 clash on February 15, whilst Chelsea travel to Lille for the second leg of their tie on March 16.

What have UEFA said?

In a statement on Thursday, UEFA said they will be required in principle to observe restrictions in any country, adding further guidance will be made ahead of the knockout stages of the Champions League.

“The specific conditions under which matches are played in each country are subject to the decisions of the competent authorities in that country,” UEFA said.

“Each team will in principle be required to comply with the applicable rules in the country where the match takes place.

“But the specific competition Annexes – still under elaboration – which contain special rules due to COVID-19 applicable to the knock-out phase, may provide further guidance in this regard.”

In 2021, European club matches were moved to neutral venues due to travel bans in several countries, caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the current vaccination situation is different because the rules only apply to certain individuals.