Galatasaray's Norwegian defender Omar Elabdellaoui (left) vies with Rangers' English midfielder Ryan Kent during the UEFA Europa League qualifying round soccer match between Rangers FC and Galatasaray at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oct 1, 2020. (IAN MACNICOL / POOL / AFP)

OSLO - Norway’s Nations League game away to Romania on Sunday has been canceled following the quarantining of the Norwegian team by the nation’s health authorities due to a positive COVID-19 test, European soccer’s governing body UEFA has announced.

We are very disappointed that the authorities are forcing us to stay home. All the other 54 UEFA nations are playing international matches this week except Norway. This is very detrimental to the national team’s ambitions in the short and long term. 

Terje Svendsen, President of the Norwegian Football Federation

Norway’s FA clashed with the country’s health authorities as the squad prepared to leave Oslo on Saturday.

The health ministry insisted the team did not travel to Bucharest and should instead go into quarantine following a positive test for Galatasary right back Omar Elabdellaoui.

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“The Norwegian Football Federation believes that we can travel within the regulations. The Norwegian government says no to this. We disagree with that, but of course we cannot defy the government,” NFF president Terje Svendsen said in a statement.

“We are very disappointed that the authorities are forcing us to stay home. All the other 54 UEFA nations are playing international matches this week except Norway. This is very detrimental to the national team’s ambitions in the short and long term,” he added.

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Norway, who beat Romania 4-0 in Oslo and are second in the standings, were also scheduled to play Nations League B Group 1 leaders Austria in their final Nations League game on Wednesday. The two teams are level on nine points from four games.