AMSTERDAM, June 1: Goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was left off the Netherlands squad for the European Championship on Tuesday because of fitness doubts following his COVID-19 infection. The Dutch soccer federation said Cillessen will be replaced by Marco Bizot in the 26-man final squad.
Netherlands coach Frank de Boer said Cillessen missed key preparation time and he could not be sure when the player would be 100% healthy.
The Valencia ’keeper did not travel to a training camp in Portugal after his positive test was reported last week.
Cillessen had been a back-up to Tim Krul in recent games. They both played in a memorable 2014 World Cup quarterfinal match. “The rest of the squad was retested for COVID-19 and returned negative results,” the Scottish Football Association said.
The Netherlands will play all three games in Group C at home in Amsterdam, first against Ukraine then against Austria and North Macedonia. (AP)
