Friday 29 October 2021
After a restless week
No World Cup ban for unvaccinated Kimmich
By Stephan Uersfeld
The week could go better for Joshua Kimmich. The vaccination status of the national player is discussed up to the federal government, then the debacle in the cup followed. But in the end there is good news. At the 2022 World Cup, according to ntv.de information, he would also be allowed to appear without vaccination protection.
Good news for national player Joshua Kimmich. It was seldom seen recently. The Bayern player lost a lot of support last week. The reason for this was his forced statement on his vaccination status after a “picture” publication. The debate about Kimmich escalated into the federal government and, amid the rising number of cases, threw deep rifts between the conflicting parties. The big question was discussed: Can a footballer who is also involved with an initiative in the Corona crisis still be a role model if he rejects a Corona vaccination for fear of long-term consequences?
Uninformed, one side complained that the midfielder of FC Bayern Munich would have loved to have missed the first shot on the spot. First vaccination, then football, demanded those who could not explain why a player without vaccination can take part in games that are played in stadiums under 2G conditions. A private matter, explained others, who criticized Kimmich for his line of argument. There is no pandemic for the unvaccinated, informed those who continue to educate themselves in crude forums and networks.
Joshua Kimmich stood somewhere in between and withdrew. He did not take part in the training sessions of FC Bayern Munich on Monday and on Tuesday he entered the field via detours. On Wednesday the Bayern bosses warned him live on TV and then he went down in the DFB Cup with a completely insecure team at Borussia Mönchengladbach, while the advertising boards in Borussia Park once again pointed out the need for the vaccination. As usual in the cup, the perimeter advertising was played out by the German Football Association. For him, Kimmich is known to be one of the hopes for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Test run in November
But could Kimmich and could other players without vaccination also take part in the desert World Cup? The current entry regulations of Qatar speak a clear language. An impossibility. The Gulf State only allows people with a full vaccination to enter and they must also undergo tests. However, according to ntv.de information, these strict entry rules will not apply to the participating players at the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup in November 2021.
The FIFA Arab Cup, which begins on November 30th with the game between Qatar and Bahrain, is considered a test run for the 2022 World Cup. The 16 teams will play the games in six of the eight World Cup stadiums. During the group stage, four games per day will be played and, due to the short distance between the individual venues, spectators will be able to see two of them live in the stadium. So it will be in the coming year at the Winter Desert World Championships, in which, according to the current status, all stars can take part, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.
According to ntv.de information, no major restrictions for unvaccinated players are planned for the test run next month. They will be able to enter Qatar without any problems and do not have to be in a hotel quarantine, can be heard from around the tournament. Players without a corona vaccination will only have to be prepared for more tests. This rule applies first of all to the Arab Cup, but, as can be heard from the environment, nobody is currently expecting a tightening of the rules for the World Cup in 2022. Because the greatest players in the world are supposed to fight for the golden cup there. Nobody wants a tournament without superstars and Joshua Kimmich is one of them, so to speak, for whom there is good news at the end of the week: He doesn’t have to worry about his participation in the World Cup.