Over the last week, there have been seven people in the Irish setup impacted by COVID and many believe that the international window should be halted.
On the pitch, the Republic of Ireland are still looking for their first win in this season's Nations League after Stephen Kenny's men were held to a 0-0 draw by Wales in Dublin.
In a game of few chances, Shane Long's header in the second half was arguably Ireland's best chance. However, James McClean's late sending-off will mean that Kenny has fewer options against Finland on Wednesday.
Granted, the Ireland boss already had a severely depleted squad to choose from because prior to the game against Wales, the FAI confirmed that an Irish player tested positive for COVID-19.
Ultimately, this meant that four other players were also ruled out of the game after they were deemed to be close contacts of the infected player.
Following on from the absence of Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly against Slovakia, COVID-related issues have been a major talking point from the current international window.
Stephen Kenny on COVID
During his post-match press conference, Nathan Murphy asked Kenny if he fears for the immediate future of international football, given the rising number of cases on both the club and international fronts.
When asked if he'd be in favour of temporarily halting the international calendar, the Ireland manager said: "Obviously, I'm the middle of the camp and it's an interesting question. I'm sure everything will be reviewed and to be direct, I'd have to think about the answer. It's one that I'd have to consider and think about. Ideally, you want life not to be interrupted, sport is very important and football is the most participated sport in the country."
Kenny adds: "The national team are a very important part of Irish sporting life. We don't want that to diminish but there are serious challenges. There's a lot of anxiety with the clubs too and that will be something for everyone to consider."
In terms of the immediate future, next up for Ireland is their Nations League tie against Finland in Helsinki on Wednesday. In November, the boys in green are scheduled to face Wales and Bulgaria.
You can view Kenny's comments in full below.
Does Stephen Kenny think international football will continue?
OTB's @nathanmurf spoke to the Ireland manager after a hectic day for the squad and the FAI | @paddypower
Full story: https://t.co/pDWCD1weV2 pic.twitter.com/YWthtvNdyR— Off The Ball (@offtheball) October 11, 2020
