WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League were forced to forfeit their scheduled Saturday match against OL Reign because the Spirit violated the league's medical protocols, the league said.
Under FIFA guidelines, the game will be recorded as a 3-0 victory for OL Reign, which will receive three points in the league standings.
The Spirit had a COVID-19 outbreak last week, with four players testing positive, forcing the team's game against the Portland Thorns to be postponed.
“Although we are disappointed in the NWSL’s decision to issue the Spirit a forfeit, we accept their decision. We apologize to our fans who we know are disappointed in us,” Spirit president Ben Olsen said in a statement. “Making this situation right and preparing for our remaining matches are the club’s highest priorities.”
The team said it would issue refunds to ticketholders.
“We will communicate more information to you over the coming days as we assess what has occurred and set out to fix our shortcomings,” said Olsen, the former coach of Major League Soccer's D.C. United who was named the Spirit's president last week.
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