Wales' World Cup qualifier with Belarus in Russia a 'nightmare', says Robert Page
- Published
Robert Page has been in charge of Wales since November 2020 in the absence of usual manager Ryan Giggs
Wales face a "logistical nightmare" in playing their World Cup qualifier with Belarus in Kazan, Russia, according to manager Robert Page.
Teams from the United Kingdom and the European Union cannot enter Belarus by air because of sanctions against the country's government that forced the game on 5 September to be moved.
The match at Kazan's Central Stadium will be played behind closed doors.
"Logistically it's been hard work for us," said Page.
"The players will only be aware of it because of the bio-mechanic tests that we've got to do. We've got to get them organised to go to different parts of the UK to get their fingerprints done and get tested.
"We've had to pick a larger squad because of the visas, they've got to be submitted three weeks before we go, which again is crazy.
"First and foremost we sympathise with the Belarusians, absolutely, but Uefa could have picked any neutral venue and they decided on Kazan.
"Organising it from a financial and logistical point of view is a nightmare.
"The work that has gone into it is crazy but we have to get on with it.
"We tried to appeal, but were shot down straight away. So it's what it is and we have to get on with it."
The 2,500-mile journey to Kazan - further away than Belarus - comes after Wales endured a summer of arduous travel.
During Euro 2020, Wales played their first two games in Azerbaijan before facing Italy in Rome and taking on Denmark in Amsterdam.
While three of their four opponents were backed by a significant number of fans, only a handful of Wales supporters were able to attend.
And all four of the tournament's semi-finalists played at least some of their matches at home.
That prompted Wales' most capped player, Chris Gunter, to criticise the format of Euro 2020 as a "joke".
"I didn't see his post but of course it has an impact, doing all that travelling," said Page.
"You look at the format of the Euros and the travelling involved there - if I'd said it during the Euros it would have sounded like sour grapes, so I didn't want to say it then.
"But in hindsight it's no coincidence that teams who got further had less travelling.
"We put up with it and gave it our best, but looking back, of course it had an impact."
Wales face Finland in Helsinki in a friendly on Wednesday, 1 September.
They then resume qualifiers by taking on Belarus the following Sunday before hosting Estonia in Cardiff on Wednesday, 8 September.
RUGBY LIONS OF '74: Undefeated, but against the backdrop of condemnation for the apartheid regime
SOCIAL MEDIA & SPORT: Vicki Blight investigates the impact of social media in sport
