WELLINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - New Zealand Football have expressed their disappointment at having to cancel a friendly with world powerhouse Belgium next month, in what would have been the first fixture for the All Whites in almost a year. NZF said the coronavirus pandemic had played a major part in their decision to cancel the Oct. 8 match in Brussels, with many of their players facing restrictions on travel and quarantine concerns before they returned to their clubs. World governing body FIFA said clubs would not be obliged to release players in the September international window if they had to spend time in quarantine. “It would have (also) taken them out of contention for their club sides and impacted on their long-term development as players and their careers.”The All Whites have not played since last November. They had scheduled fixtures against Bahrain and Oman in March, but they were also cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Source: Egypt Today September 26, 2020 00:56 UTC