Football: All Whites game against Uzbekistan called off after Covid outbreak in Kiwi camp

The All Whites during their match against Jordan at New York University Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Photo / photosport

A Covid outbreak among the All Whites has led to the cancellation of their game against Uzbekistan in Dubai scheduled for early Wednesday morning.

New Zealand Football announced around seven hours before kickoff that the match had been called off "due to a number of positive Covid-19 test results in the New Zealand team camp".

"The positive cases were detected as part of the team's regular testing regime," said NZF in a statement.

"They are all currently isolating in Dubai away from the rest of the squad. All players and staff are fully vaccinated against Covid-19."

NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said the cancellation was disappointing but was the only decision that could be made in the circumstances.

"It is fair to say the team and staff are gutted to have to cancel the game, but in a situation like this, player and staff welfare is the absolute priority," said Pragnell.

"We cannot create further exposure events for the team and staff and be responsible for a possible outbreak in the Uzbekistan team as well.

"We will now be working with the team in Dubai to undertake further testing of the squad before they depart, as well as supporting the players who have tested positive while they recover.

"Unfortunately, this is a risk international sport is currently faced with and hugely disappointing for all involved."

The cancellation is a blow for All Whites coach Danny Hay; the Uzbekistan match was to be his team's last before the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament in Qatar in March.

Hay assembled his squad for the first time in almost two years last October and the All Whites scored impressive wins over Curacao 2-1 and Bahrain 1-0 in the Bahraini capital Manama.

The All Whites' good form continued when they returned to the Middle East in November. They defeated a second-string Algerian side 2-1 before completing a rare hat-trick of international wins over non-Oceania opposition by beating Gambia 2-0, with both games in Dubai.

Hay's team reconvened in Dubai last week and produced an underwhelming display in a 3-1 defeat to Jordan last Saturday, although the All Whites were missing several key players and their opponents had played 24 times in the previous year.

The winner of the eight-team Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament advances to the Intercontinental playoffs in Qatar in June against the fourth-best North American nation, likely to be the United States, Mexico or Panama. The Intercontinental playoff winners qualify for the World Cup finals in Qatar in November-December.