Matildas blow: Yallop positive COVID test

George Clarke | January 27, 2022

The Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign in India has taken a hit with experienced midfielder Tameka Yallop testing positive for COVID-19.

Football Australia says the rest of the squad and staff returned negative tests and Yallop is isolating.

Given Yallop appeared in Australia’s wins over Indonesia and the Philippines, the 30-year-old was likely to have been be rested for Friday morning’s (1am AEDT) final group clash with Thailand in Mumbai regardless.

Tony Gustavsson’s Matildas are already qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament, but Yallop’s diagnosis will no doubt be concerning for their hopes of winning the competition for the first time since 2010. 

Hosts India were forced to withdraw from the tournament earlier this week when positive COVID-19 cases and injuries meant they were unable to raise a team for their game with Taiwan.

Under the Asian Football Confederation’s rules, teams are excluded from the competition if they are unable to name 13 fit players.

The Matildas’ main rivals for the competition, South Korea and Japan, also recorded positive cases in their camps earlier in the competition but none to the scale of India.