The Spanish contingent suffered a scare as captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for the virus just a week before the start of the European Championship. As a result, the squad had to be put into quarantine and they had to miss training and their last pre-friendly match ahead of Euro 2020.
Diego Llorente also tested positive for COVID thought it is now thought to have been a false positive. With that being said, doubt continues to hover over the camp and according to latest reports, the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) has decided to vaccinate the footballers before their opening group stage match against Sweden in Seville.
As per the latest update, all the other players had tested negative in their COVID tests.
“On a personal level, it isn’t pleasant, the results take a long time to arrive,” Luis Enrique said in a news conference on Thursday. “The laboratories do their work as well as possible. We take the PCR tests first thing in the morning so that the laboratory can give us the results before training… We are prepared for adversity. It isn’t a pleasant situation, but I have experienced much worse.”
The managed or Spain was referring to his own daughter Xana’s death in 2019 that forced him to take a hiatus from football and step down from his position as head coach of the team.
“For me, this is kids’ stuff, compared to some things I’ve had to experience,” he added.
The former Barcelona manager also mentioned that he was surprised to find out that Busquets had tested positive. The squad had been in a secure bio-bubble for several days before it happened.
“We followed all the protocols, perhaps even more strictly than UEFA requires,” he said. “On Sunday everything changed. The medical staff took steps and we began an even more demanding protocol, training individually. You can imagine how complex that is… The attitude of the players has been exemplary.”
He also said that the national team is yet to receive official confirmation about the vaccination of the players.
“We control what we can control,” he said. “We’ll accept any decision taken by those responsible… I would have liked, and [RFEF president Luis Rubiales] would have liked too, for it to be done at the right time, when the squad was named. But we accept the decisions taken.”
“As of today, there’s nothing official that they’ll be vaccinated tomorrow or the day after. I want the players to go into the games in the best condition,” Luis Enrique concluded.
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