No further action from UEFA following Nomads manager Andy Morrisons ‘blind eye’ comments on ill players
Connah’s Quay Nomads has confirmed the club will face “no further action from UEFA” following comments made by manager Andy Morrison after a Europa League match last month.
Prior to the 2nd qualifying round match against Dinamo Tbilisi in Wrexham on September 17, Nomads confirmed that three players had tested positive for COVID-19 with an additional player showing symptoms
Following the game, Morrison was interviewed by the BBC, he was reported to say he’d turned a “blind eye” to three players “who have turned up tonight and they’re not well.”
Nomads said there was a “very clear narrative of the article” that the club had ignored players being unwell with symptoms of COVID-19”.
The club said, “this insinuation is categorically untrue.”
In a statement today the club said:
Connah’s Quay Nomads can confirm that the club will face no further action from UEFA following a recent Ethics and Disciplinary inspection.
Following The Nomads’ UEFA Europa League 2nd qualifying round match, against Dinamo Tbilisi on 17th September, the club have been investigated by UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary body with the investigation recently reaching its conclusion.
Comments from Andy Morrison’s post-match interview with the BBC were widely publicised and ultimately led to an inspection being raised by UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Body.
Rather than talk about the team’s outstanding performance, on the pitch, the article that was published focussed in on one quote from Andy Morrison which was taken thoroughly out of context.
The very clear narrative of the article, which was subsequently picked up by various national press outlets, was that Connah’s Quay Nomads had ignored players being unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 and that the club had failed to follow the UEFA Return to Play protocol.
This insinuation is categorically untrue.
At the time, the club sought to clarify this position by publishing an official club statement which detailed the lengths the club had gone to ensure that the game could safely go ahead.
This involved detailed and in-depth discussions with Public Health Wales, The Football Association of Wales and with UEFA. This statement can be viewed here.
The recommendation of the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector stated;
The Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, recommends that the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body does not initiate disciplinary proceedings against Connah’s Quay Nomads Football Club.
The inspection also noted that
From the responses rendered by the club and their team’s doctor as well as the evidences available to the investigation, the EDI observes that in principle, the provisions of the UEFA Return to Play protocol were respected by the club.”
[Feature image: Andy Morrison/MCN Media]
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