Unvaccinated athletes are not allowed to enter France, forcing certain Chelsea and Real Madrid players to miss their teams' upcoming Champions League matches.
Due to the new restrictions in France, Chelsea and Real Madrid may be without numerous key players for their forthcoming Champions League matches.
After France tightened its Covid-19 guidelines, there is no longer an exemption for unvaccinated athletes to enter the nation.
Holders In the final 16 of this season's tournament, Chelsea will meet French champions Lille, while La Liga leaders Real will face Ligue 1 hopefuls Paris Saint-Germain.
UEFA said on Thursday that all teams are expected to follow the appropriate laws in any country "in principle."
The governing body of European football has yet to release its new regulations, which will provide "additional direction" to clubs in Chelsea's situation.
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Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid club could be without many players for their Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea's away match against Lille is on March 16, while Real's match against PSG in Paris is on February 15.
It's unclear how many Chelsea and Real Madrid players, if any, are Covid-unvaccinated.
Although it remains a possibility, UEFA is unlikely to shift the games to a neutral venue and undercut France's Covid restrictions, as the organization's president Aleksander Ceferin is a strong proponent of vaccination.
As things stand, all unvaccinated celebrities will be considered positive cases and will be denied entry to France.
"UEFA is in contact with relevant stakeholders across Europe in preparation for the start of UEFA's club championships in February," the statement said on Thursday.
"The particular conditions under which matches are played in each country are determined by the country's responsible authorities.
"In theory, each team will be forced to follow the rules of the country in which the match takes place.
"However, the unique competition Annexes - which are still being finalized and contain special Covid-19 regulations applicable to the knockout phase - may provide additional direction in this area."
Last month, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel encouraged fans and journalists to stop interrogating unvaccinated athletes.
"I don't want to become engaged in pointing fingers and launching a quest for people who haven't been vaccinated," Tuchel added. "This is a decision that must be made. Leave it at that.
"We can't make people get vaccinated if they don't want to. And I'm not going to change my mind. And I'm not the one to remark on that; I'm not an expert on the subject.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has stated that the Covid jab would not be forced onto his players.
"This country, as well as the rest of Europe, has expertise." Please ask them and me about football. I'm not going to get involved. I've had my vaccinations. I made the decision on my own. That's all there is to it.
"You're aware that it's producing a problem. But it's not as if we've all been infected because we haven't been vaccinated. We have players that have been vaccinated and tested positive.
"You can have an opinion, and I can have an opinion, but a player can have an opinion as well."
"There may then be regulations in place, such as when you come at work, your employer may establish an atmosphere in which you are not permitted to enter the premises if you have not been vaccinated."
"This is something that can happen, so you have to prepare for it and live with the repercussions."
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