Japanese Football Association cancels match against Jamaica after players fail to board plane due to COVID

Japanese Football Association cancels the match against Jamaica after players failed to board the plane due to COVID-19 test demands. The Japanese Football Association (JFA) said on Tuesday it had cancelled a friendly match against Jamaica scheduled for later this week after ten of the visiting players were unable to board a flight due to coronavirus limitations. The test certificates of eight of the ten players coming from Europe were refused at the airport, JFA president Kohzo Tashima told reporters, adding that the association was still collecting detailed information. The cancellation comes less than two months before the Tokyo Olympics, which are in a state of emergency due to the pandemic. Jamaica would play Japan's national team on Thursday and get an Under-24 team on June 12. While some Jamaican players are already in Japan, those who could not board their flight will take COVID-19 tests again, Tashima of the JFA said. He added that the movements of Japanese and Jamaican players would be limited to inside-safe "bubbles".