The Girondins de Bordeaux are perfectly situated in one of the blind spots of the new protocol published by the Professional Football League (LFP). The governing body said this Thursday morning that the shock against OM (scheduled for Friday evening) will take place because the club only has eight players unavailable because of the Covid when it is necessary to have eleven on the floor to request a postponement.
Admar Lopes, the club’s sporting director, disagrees with this calculation: “We have six other players who resumed training yesterday and who are still positive. For us, we have 14 players who are not able to play a Ligue 1 match for 90 minutes. It is a lack of respect for the club and for the health of the players.“It should be understood by this that the six players have symptoms but that under the protocol established by the LFP, they are not considered unfit to play a Ligue 1 match. Admar Lopes even assures that some players made him by their fears to train and their refusal to play the match.
It is a lack of respect for the club and for the health of the players – Admar Lopes, sporting director of the Girondins de Bordeaux
Alongside a laconic Vladimir Petkovic as usual, the Portuguese continues to charge the LFP by invoking, like the French Football Federation in the Coupe de France, a lack of flexibility in relation to the evolution of the virus . “We are all in a situation of adaptation, the clubs and the authorities. We do it on a daily basis, so the League must also do it. We ask him to make an exception for Bordeaux. League protocol is not intended for a situation like ours.“He assures that some players do not even have seven days of training to play the game.
What scenarios for a postponement of the match?
If the sporting director assures to be still in contact with the League to try to convince it, it seems difficult for the latter to reverse her decision. On the other hand, several possibilities exist and could give rise to a rebound in this affair.
We (League) ask him to make an exception for Bordeaux […] League protocol is not intended for a situation like ours. – Admar Lopes, sporting director of the Girondins
The first scenario concerns PCR tests performed by the medical staff of the Girondins this Thursday morning. There are now seven players in the professional workforce who have not been affected. If three of them – which is obviously not to be desired – are contaminated, the club will then be in its rights because it will have 11 players unavailable due to the Covid.
The second would be that of a report coming … from the side of the Olympique de Marseille! The Phocéens announced this Thursday morning that five players are positive for Covid. Here too, by following the LFP protocol, it only takes six new cases in the ranks of the OM for the postponement to be possible. Knowing that their coach, Jorge Sampaoli, must also deal with the absences of Jordan Amavi, who left for Nice as well as Pape Gueye and Bamba Dieng (CAN), the club should not be reluctant to request the package if this is the situation.
The last case is more of the non-holding of the match only a postponement because it is the possibility that Bordeaux declares flat rate. Asked about it, Admar Lopes half-evades the subject. “We will make our decision after having spoken with the coach, the unavailable players and the president Gérard Lopez.“He indicates that the club should definitely be fixed this Friday morning, that is to say only ten hours before the meeting.