The new wave of Covid-19, undoubtedly linked to the Omicron surge, does not spare French football: if, for the moment, the match between Bordeaux and Marseille on Friday January 7 is maintained, two league 1 matches planned this weekend are already postponed.
The threat of cascading postponements is growing in a Ligue 1 where the Lille – Lorient and Angers – Saint-Etienne matches have already been postponed. The Lorient club deplored Thursday evening 12 cases of Covid among its players, and two in the staff. In Angers, 19 cases have been identified.
On Thursday, the Troyes club in turn asked for the postponement of its match in Montpellier, with 13 positive and unavailable players: three more than allowed by the health protocol in force since the start of the season …
There are also cases for example at PSG: after Lionel Messi, it is the turn of Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler to be infected. There are also positive players in Marseille and Bordeaux.
The case of Thursday night’s game between the two teams is also thorny. Bordeaux insisted on postponing the match, but without success, because the protocol of the Professional Football League does not allow it. Especially since the League has changed its rules, by reducing the number of days of isolation of contaminated players who have become negative again, in line with government decisions.
The players’ union calls for more caution. Three postponements could not be avoided on the lower level, in Ligue 2, in Caen, Dunkirk and Amiens.
“The organization of competitions is questioned today“because of the Covid-19, explained the Deputy Minister in charge of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, this Friday on franceinfo.”At least for the next few weeks, months, there will necessarily be postponements of competitions“, she warned.
️ Covid-19 and sport: “There will inevitably be postponements of competitions” warns Roxana Maracineanu on franceinfo pic.twitter.com/tri5vTAfVz
– franceinfo (@franceinfo) January 7, 2022
The Covid is also undermining European competitions, for example in England, where a semi-final of the League Cup between Liverpool and Arsenal has been postponed. This weekend, Italy deplores the withdrawal of four teams from its championship. Italy where, as in France, the Football League is developing its health protocol.
Cases are also increasing in the biggest Spanish clubs, such as Real Madrid or FC Barcelona. On Thursday in Germany, Bayern had eight positive players and the Dortmund coach said he was “opposed to the idea of an NBA-type health bubble”, which would be for him a “return to a lockout period”.