Nomads will face no further action after UEFA probe into Morrison interview

Nomads manager Andy Morrison. Picture: Nik Mesney, NCM Media

Connah’s Quay Nomads have been cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation by UEFA into an interview given by manager Andy Morrison after a recent European tie.

The Cymru Premier League champions will face no further action as a result of an Ethics and Disciplinary inspection.

Following Nomads’ UEFA Europa League second qualifying round match against Dinamo Tbilisi on September 17, the club was investigated by UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary body.

Comments from Morrison’s post-match interview with the BBC were widely publicised and ultimately led to UEFA intervention.

Rather than talk about the team’s outstanding performance on the pitch in a 1-0 defeat, the article published focused in on one quote from Morrison which the club say was taken thoroughly out of context.

The very clear narrative of the article, which was subsequently picked up by various national press outlets, was that Connah’s Quay Nomads had ignored players being unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 and that the club had failed to follow the UEFA Return to Play protocol. The club was adamant this insinuation is categorically untrue.

At the time, Nomads sought to clarify this position by publishing an official club statement which detailed the lengths it had gone to ensure that the game could safely go ahead.

This involved detailed and in-depth discussions with Public Health Wales, Football Association of Wales and with UEFA. This statement can be viewed at
https://the-nomads.co.uk/news/article.php?id=1051

The recommendation of the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector stated; “…the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector recommends that the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body does not initiate disciplinary proceedings against Connah’s Quay Nomads Football Club.”

The inspection also noted: “From the responses rendered by the club and their team’s doctor as well as the evidences available to the investigation, the EDI observes that in principle, the provisions of the UEFA Return to Play protocol were respected by the club.”

Nomads commented: “We would like to thank UEFA and FAW for their assistance in this procedure.”