It is the hecatomb in the clubs of Ligue 1. The 20th day of League must take place on January 7, 8 and 9, but many cases of Covid-19 identified among the teams and the supervisors threaten the resumption of the competition after the Christmas truce.
In opening, Bordeaux must host the Olympique de Marseille. But the Gironde club announced on Thursday a real massacre: 21 of its players will be “unavailable” this Sunday for their round of 16 of the Coupe de France against Brest, “for reasons related to Covid”. 16 Bordeaux players “are placed in solitary confinement”.
AT Angers, they are 19 to be positive among the players, and five members of the staff are also affected by the Covid-19. The situation is such that the club have requested the postponement of their match scheduled for January 9 against Saint-Etienne. Of these 19 cases, “more than 10 will not be allowed to play a match before January 10, 2022”, explained the Angevin training at the resumption of training.
AT Lyon, the star of the team Lucas Paqueta announced this Thursday on his account Instagram that he had tested positive, while he had gone to spend the holidays with his family in Dubai. In addition to the Brazilian midfielder, other players are positive, AFP learned from OL, without the club specifying the number or identity. New tests will be carried out this Friday, December 31. A training course planned in Murcia in Spain, from January 1 to 5, is also threatened.
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Wednesday, Lorient had indicated that five of his players, whose names were not released, were positive.
The supporting teams are not left out since the coach of Strasbourg, Julien Stéphan, is also positive for Covid-19. No positive case was detected among the players for the resumption of training on Wednesday.
Gauges in the stadiums
In addition to these cases of Covid-19, the Ligue 1 championship will also suffer from the gauges, which will be reinstated in the stadiums from January 3. Matches will therefore be limited to 5,000 spectators. In addition, the consumption of food and drink will be prohibited in all sports facilities.
Take rugby as an example?
According to the latest medical protocol of the LFP, a team is allowed to play as long as it has at least 20 players, including a goalkeeper. One “health hazard which distorts the situation “ sportingly, according to the president of the Girondins, Gérard Lopez. This Thursday, he evokes the new protocol of the rugby championships and half-heartedly regrets that the French Football Federation does not do the same.
From now on, the players of the Top 14 and Pro D2, even vaccinated, will have to achieve minimum two tests per week. The last test should take place two days before each meeting. The few unvaccinated players will have to do antigen and PCR tests every 24 hours. A club may only request a postponement of a match from 15 missing professional contract players.