The French main series Ligue 1 was the only one of the five largest football leagues in Europe, with the 2019-2020 season completely interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, the new season 2020-2021 can clearly start earlier than the other big leagues – after a protracted break.
In good time, Ligue 1 set 21 August as the start date for the new season. The encounter between Marseille and Saint-Étienne was chosen as the opening match.
Now, however, plans are threatened by a familiar teaser: COVID-19. Coronavirus infections have been reported in several teams, and as a result, training matches have already had to be canceled.
The focus has been on Strasbourg, which recently confirmed nine coronavirus infections on its team. Of particular concern is that the Strasbourg infections were diagnosed only after the team had encountered Montpellier in a practice match. After that, also one Montpellier player, a midfielder Florent Mollet gave a positive corona sample. As a result, both teams canceled their practice games.
– All of our players, members of our coaching team and members of the club management have been carefully tested before each practice game out of respect for players and opponents, Montpellier said in a statement released on Thursday.
Montpellier described himself as “the biggest victim of the situation” as one of the team’s players is now in home quarantine and two games had to be canceled. In all, the corona infection was already the Fifth for the Montpellier team, as in the spring four of the club’s players became infected. midfielder Junior Zambia even got into an artificial coma, but recovered from the disease.
The accusing finger is pointing in the direction of Strasbourg. L’Équipe says that the Strasbourg players had left to celebrate just the day before the match against Montpellier. The practice game was played in Geneva, Switzerland on July 28, but the team’s previous corona tests were done on July 25. So two days before the players went to the city of Geneva to celebrate.
The team management had given the players a day off and permission to dine together. However, the players ’evening dragged on as they continued to party in the city. President of Strasbourg Marc Keller has confirmed that the club did not know during the game that several of its players were in nightlife the night before. Now Montpellier is rightly very sorry that no new crown tests were carried out on Strasbourg players just below the match.
The Nantes team has also been diagnosed with eight corona infections, three of which are in the players. Four of Lille’s players, in turn, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Lille had to cancel her training camp in Portugal.
– We remind players every day about safety intervals, we urge them to be careful at home and avoid congested places. The virus is among us, and until the vaccine is developed, we need to live with it, Lille’s coach Christophe Galtier said.
France, as the first major country in Western Europe, has also allowed limited public access to matches. For example, 5,000 spectators were admitted to the two cup finals played in July.
However, the number of infections is also rising again in France, and therefore a new concern about the cancellation of games is again justified.
– I hope the matches are not postponed just because the team has Covid infections. We have to adapt to the idea that many of the players may have to be left out because of this, Galtier speculated.
sources: BeSoccer and FLAT