La Liga: A coronavirus outbreak has hit Real Madrid with four more players joining the list of affected players. The La Liga leaders announced that Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Rodrygo, Andriy Lunin and an assistant coach have tested positive. Follow La Liga updates on InsideSport.IN
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The Spanish club’s announcement comes a day after the news that Luka Modric and Marcelo tested positive. The assistant coach infected was Davide Ancelotti, son of head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
La Liga: COVID-19 wave strikes Real Madrid, Valencia, games under threat?
Since all seven are vaccinated, all of them must quarantine until they test negative according to Spanish government protocol. They will not be available for Sunday’s game at Cadiz and could also miss Wednesday’s La Liga match at Athletic Bilbao.
Official Announcement#RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 16, 2021
Valencia have been hit hardest among their coaching staff, with coach Pepe Bordalas and his assistant Patri Moreno both in isolation ahead of the Valencia derby against Levante on December 20.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation have now announced that pre-game pleasantries from this weekend will be done away with, keeping in mind the evolving COVID-19 situation.
La Liga: COVID-19 wave strikes Real Madrid, Valencia, games under threat?
Players and managers will not shake hands with players keeping their distance until the action starts. Players will continue to do PCR tests every 15 days, with more regular antigen tests being done by most clubs anyway.
La Liga has a festive break which will help with breaking the chain of infection. The last game of the year will be played on December 22, and football will resume from January 31, with the majority of games being played on January 2.
Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas has assured that the competition is prepared to face the new wave of covid-19 after a spate of infections in recent days. However, he also admitted to a Spanish publication that matches getting postponed could be a reality.
The Premier League have taken the step of suspending several matches between now and Christmas to react to the new wave. Tebas admitted he couldn’t rule out La Liga doing the same.
La Liga: COVID-19 wave strikes Real Madrid, Valencia, games under threat?
“If the situation requires it, don’t rule out games getting suspended. Obviously we’re not alien to this situation and we’re looking for solutions,” the president was quoted as saying.
La Liga was put on pause in March of 2020, when the first wave of covid-19 infections hit global society. It returned to action that June, playing out the rest of the season behind closed doors.
The 2020/21 season also began behind closed doors, and remained so until the tail end of that season. As things stand, however, full capacity is allowed at La Liga games across the country.
La Liga: COVID-19 wave strikes Real Madrid, Valencia, games under threat?
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