What has been said?
The German government published a statement on Thursday which read: “The Corona Protection Ordinance passed by the German government last Friday provides for only a few exceptions and no special regulations for professional athletes.
“The Federal Police informed the club RB Leipzig today that the described case constellation does not fall under the exceptions.”
That means the game cannot be staged in Leipzig as planned.
What happens next?
UEFA is in discussions with the German FA and German government about the situation.
UEFA recently changed European competition rules allowing ties to be switched if required.
However, at this stage Liverpool aren’t aware of any suggestion that the first leg could be played at Anfield instead.
Playing the first leg at a neutral venue is more likely. The other option available is that the two-legged tie is reduced to a single game played at a neutral ground.
What other fixtures hang in the balance?
Arsenal find themselves in a similar situation to Liverpool.
They are due to play the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 tie in Lisbon on February 18.
They may not be allowed to fly to Portugal, however, because of government concerns about new COVID-19 variants.
(Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
