Virus outbreak at Dutch national team's training camp; Five footballers sent home
There’s been a virus outbreak at Oranje’s training camp in Paris, the national football team announced. Coach Ronald Koeman sent five players - Sven Botman, Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt, Joey Veerman, and Bart Verbruggen - home because they have a virus infection, Oranje said.
The coach called up three placements to stand in for Oranje’s first European Qualifier against France. They are Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, Kjell Scherpen from Vitesse, and Stefan de Vrij from Inter. They’ll join the Oranje footballers in Paris.
Koeman will review the selection after Friday's match against France at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Oranje’s match against France is their first European Championship qualifier. The Dutch team will also face Gibraltar, Greece, and Ireland in Group B. Of the five teams, the top two will move on to next year’s tournament in Germany.
The remaining teams may still have a chance to enter the tournament through a playoff.