Five players in quarantine and one case of covid. A few days before two important meetings in the context of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, the preparation of the German selection is somewhat disrupted.
Tuesday, November 9, German Football Association (DFB) announced the quarantine of five players: Kimmich, Gnabry, Musiala, Adeyemi and Süle. This last, central defender of the German selection, has tested positive for Covid-19. The others, all considered as contact cases, were forced to go back and isolate themselves at home. None of them will take part in the next two meetings.
ℹ️ Gesundheitsamt ordnet Quarantäne für fünf Nationalspieler an.
Alle Info: https://t.co/FGZduEi4xF#DieMannschaft #GERLIE pic.twitter.com/TRo0H0NlU5
– Die Mannschaft (@DFB_Team) November 9, 2021
A total of nine players had joined the rally in Wolfsburg on the same plane as Süle. Four of them, whose names have not been given, have been allowed to stay but will have to isolate themselves from the rest of the group for some time. DFB Director General Oliver Bierhoff clarified that Niklas Süle is fully vaccinated with two injections, and has no symptoms.
Already qualified for the 2022 World Cup, Germany will face Liechtenstein on November 11 and go to Armenia three days later. Coach Hansi Flick called up three reinforcements on Tuesday: Maximilian Arnold, Ridley Baku (both from Wolfsburg) and Kevin Volland (Monaco).
The DFB’s announcement comes as Germany battles an upsurge in coronavirus infections, with the seven-day incidence rate reaching a new record on Tuesday. He is also shining the spotlight on Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, so far in contact. Recently, the Bavarian publicly expressed his reservations about the vaccination.
Mannschaft centerpiece Kimmich, who twice wore the captain’s armband in September in the absence of Manuel Neuer, sparked a heated debate in the country last month, justifying his choice with “personal concerns”. The controversy had even prompted the Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer to question him directly [vidéo en allemand], urging him to change his mind because “vaccination is the main weapon in the fight against the pandemic”.