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Juventus forward Ronaldo is currently in quarantine at his Turin home after traveling from Portugal in an air ambulance following a positive COVID-19 test while with his national team for Nations League matches.
Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo watches during the Nations League soccer match between France and Portugal on October 11, 2020 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. Image: AFP
ROME – Cristiano Ronaldo responded on Friday to Italy’s Sports Minister by denying that he broke the coronavirus protocol adopted for the country’s soccer after returning from international service being positive for the disease.
Juventus forward Ronaldo is currently in quarantine at his Turin home after traveling from Portugal in an air ambulance following a positive COVID-19 test while he was with his national team for Nations League matches.
“I never broke protocol,” Ronaldo said on Instagram, adding that he traveled after obtaining authorization to do so and had avoided contact with other people.
“Someone, whose name I will not say, here in Italy … says that I did not respect the protocol, that is simply a lie.
“I continue with my quarantine, I am alone, my family is on another floor, we cannot be in contact and it will be like that for at least the next 10 days.”
Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday that he thought Portugal captain Ronaldo had broken protocol by leaving Italy while Juventus was in isolation after two cases of Covid-19 among the team’s non-player staff.
On Friday he claimed that the “arrogant” Ronaldo had lied and stressed that his comments specifically referred to the departure of him and some of his teammates to join their respective national teams.
“The fame and greatness of certain footballers does not allow them to be arrogant, disrespectful to our institutions and lie,” Spadafora told the Italian news agency ANSA.
“I reiterate what I said yesterday regarding some Juventus players who left their team’s hotel, comments that I based on Juventus’ own communications with the Turin health authorities.”
Local health authorities in the Piedmont region said prosecutors had been informed of the departure of Ronaldo and other Juve players.
Juventus said Thursday that Ronaldo, who claims not to have the “slightest symptom”, returned to Italy on a “medical flight authorized by the competent health authorities.”
The entire Juve squad was once again isolated on Wednesday night after American midfielder Weston McKennie tested positive.
Both McKennie and Ronaldo are in quarantine and must test negative before meeting with their teammates.
Under UEFA rules, a player must provide evidence that he is no longer ill one week before a European match.
Ronaldo, who will miss Juve’s Serie A match with Crotone and his first Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev on October 20, must test negative on October 21 to play against Barcelona and his former enemy Lionel Messi a week later.
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