At 5:30 p.m. Beijing time on March 17, after a three-hour delay, our men's soccer team's special plane finally took off from Haikou Meilan International Airport and headed to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On this trip, the two national teams gathered into the largest visiting team in the history of China's soccer, totaling as many as 108 people. With the addition of Li Lei and Jiang Guangtai, who joined the national team in Dubai, the total number of our delegation will reach 110. With such a large team, the task of epidemic prevention has undoubtedly become the primary challenge. With the Chinese Super League approaching, any member of the team contracting the virus could have an impact on the league, forcing the postponement of the tournament.
Overseas epidemic prevention challenges increase, the national football team to deal with the "lying flat" policy
In 2021, the national football team had twice traveled to West Asia to participate in the competition, both achieved the goal of "zero infection", becoming the General Administration of the sports center of the "epidemic prevention model". However, there are two significant changes in this trip compared to 2021. First, the size of the team has increased to more than 100 people, and the more people there are, the higher the risk of infection. Second, there has been a fundamental shift in anti-epidemic policy in West Asia compared to 2021. With the decrease in the virulence of the Omicron virus, many countries in West Asia have relaxed their epidemic prevention policies, and some of them have even "laid down", which has brought unprecedented challenges to the epidemic prevention work of the national football team.
In the UAE, for example, from late February 2022, wearing masks outdoors is no longer mandatory, while the requirement for isolation of close contacts has been lifted, requiring only daily nucleic acid tests for staff of government agencies for five days. Nucleic acid testing is also no longer required for overseas visitors to the UAE, who can enter the country by presenting proof of vaccination, and Oman's vaccination policy has also been significantly relaxed.
Overseas lax immunization policies made the trip significantly more difficult and stressful for the national soccer team. Previously, our women's basketball team traveled to Belgrade to participate in the World Qualifying Tournament, due to the team's large new crown positive and short-term detention. Informed sources revealed that even in the more stringent epidemic prevention measures in 2021, the national football team travel has also encountered risks, "the first trip to Sharjah, stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel detected two positive. Earlier this year to Japan to play, floor security has also tested positive, fortunately, we work carefully, found the problem in advance, resolutely require the hotel to rectify, only to avoid causing a big mistake."
National Olympic team has a tough task of preventing epidemics
This time, the two national teams will go to Dubai together, the national Olympic team will participate in the "Dubai Cup" tournament. According to the arrangement of the Football Association, the two teams will stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Sharjah, which is also the hotel where the national football team stayed during their first trip to the West in the previous year. However, the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel also receives other guests, can not be rented to the national football team to use, can only provide a separate floor and access.
In the two national teams, the national Olympic team's epidemic prevention is far more difficult than the national team. The national team to participate in the 12 strong group matches hosted by the AFC, according to the AFC rules, once into the tournament area, the national football team is equal to enter the "anti-epidemic bubble", daily training and travel can be "anti-epidemic bubble" protection, the formation of the "anti-epidemic closed loop". "Epidemic prevention closed loop". The match with Saudi Arabia, the national football team also made it clear that the field will be empty, which to a certain extent reduces the risk of infection.
In contrast, the Dubai Cup is an invitational tournament used for warm-ups and tactical bonding for national teams in the U23 age group, and the tournament arrangements and epidemiological controls are relatively lax. Dubai does not provide "anti-epidemic bubble" protection, and there is no closed-loop management. Only after the active struggle of the Football Association, the organizers agreed to conduct a nucleic acid test on the opponents of the national Olympic team before the match. Compared with the national football team, the national Olympic team's anti-epidemic task is more difficult.
National Football League raises the level of internal defense
Before traveling, the national team has seriously conveyed the complex situation of epidemic prevention and control of this western expedition to all players, and put forward clear epidemic prevention and control requirements, the team upgraded prevention and control requirements. At the same time, the two national teams will take more stringent sealing and control measures to distinguish between them after staying in the hotel. The national football team and the national Olympic team are forbidden to walk between the daily crosstalk, the restaurant and the daily activities of the area will also maintain a certain distance.
This means that the national Olympic Games and the national football team live in the same hotel, but the training and competition is completely independent, basically with the national team will not produce contact. It is understood that the "Dubai Cup" games are arranged in the city of Dubai, the national Olympic Games will take the bus from Sharjah to Dubai to play, return to the hotel after the game. Fortunately, Sharjah is not far from Dubai, the drive only takes about half an hour.
In addition to the upgrading of internal prevention and control, the Football Association has also made a good plan to deal with the epidemic according to the relevant documents of the State General Administration of Sports, not to fight an unprepared battle. Chen Xuyuan, chairman of the Football Association, personally led the team on the trip, and strive to bring all the players back to the country at the first time after the game, without affecting the start of the league on April 23rd.
