MX23RW : Tuesday, May 21 16:35:33| >> :600:5175569:5175569:

Wales against Finland to be held in Helsinki

Wales against Finland to be held in Helsinki
© Reuters
The venue for the September 3 game had been the subject of some doubt.

Wales' opening Nations League match against Finland will take place in Helsinki after the Finnish Government approved their Football Association's request to allow Ryan Giggs' squad to travel without quarantine.

The venue for the game – which will be played on September 3 – had been up in the air because of strict Finnish quarantine measures introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Finnish regulations state people entering the country from the UK must quarantine for 14 days, although exemptions can be made by the federal government.

Tuesday's initial venue deadline imposed by UEFA had passed without any official annoucement, but the Finland FA said on Wednesday that the game would be played behind closed doors at the newly-renovated 36,000-capacity Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

Finland FA secretary general Marco Casagrande said: "The regulations according to the UEFA exception protocol for teams and players are very strict and the teams are practically in their own bubbles, both in Finland and everywhere else.

"Strict adherence to this protocol is a crucial factor and a condition for the authorities to be able to grant permission for the match."

The Finland FA added that "things will be clarified in more detail during Wednesday and Thursday" and announced at a later date.

Finland head coach Markku Kanerva had postponed his scheduled squad announcement on Tuesday for the Nations League fixtures with Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Finland play the Republic in Dublin three days after their opening League B, Group 4 game against Wales.

Kanerva will now announce his squad for the Wales and Republic matches on Thursday.

Ryan Giggs Zoom Press Conference
Wales manager Ryan Giggs named a 26-strong squad for the Finland fixture on Tuesday (Phil Blanche/PA)

Wales manager Ryan Giggs named a 26-man squad for the Nations League ties against Finland and Bulgaria on Tuesday.

Giggs revealed at his squad announcement that Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, Juventus playmaker Aaron Ramsey, Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo and Anderlecht defender James Lawrence would undergo Covid-19 tests after arriving from abroad.

He added the quartet would also be travelling to Wales on private planes to reduce the risk of infection.

ID:411729: cacheID:411729:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6802:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wales manager Ryan Giggs gestures to the fans after the match on November 19, 2019
Read Next:
Wales squad: Five talking points around Ryan Giggs's selection
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!