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Brazilian soccer star Neymar was among three Paris Saint-Germain players who tested positive for the coronavirus, a well-placed source said. AFP on Wednesday, after the French club announced several positive tests.
“Three players from Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed positive tests for Sars CoV2 and are subject to the appropriate health protocol,” PSG said in a statement.
“All the players and coaching staff will continue to be tested in the coming days.”
When contacted by AFP, the club refused to confirm the identity of the players in question.
But the source answered “yes” when asked if Neymar was one of those who tested positive, along with his teammates Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes, as the French sports newspaper had previously reported. The team.
The cases appear to be related to a holiday trip to the Spanish Mediterranean island of Ibiza made by several PSG players after the defeat in the Champions League final by Bayern Munich.
The news is a setback for the French champions’ preparations for the scheduled start of their Ligue 1 campaign next week, with a match in Lens scheduled for September 10, but possibly now at risk of being postponed.
PSG had already said on Monday that two anonymous players had reported coronavirus symptoms after a holiday.
L’Equipe reported that the players in question at the time were the Argentine duo Di María and Paredes.
Those two, and Neymar, were among several players who traveled to Ibiza after the Champions League final, mingling with friends and family after spending the previous weeks isolated in a safe health ‘bubble’ with teammates in Portugal.
Postponement raises questions
That was after the controversial decision was made to postpone play at the newly promoted Lens, initially scheduled for last Saturday, in order to give the PSG squad a break after their efforts in the ‘Final Eight’ of the Champions League.
PSG, the richest club in France, have played five competitive matches in the last six months.
Mauro Icardi, Ander Herrera, Keylor Navas and Marquinhos were also in Ibiza, and the latter’s wife revealed on Instagram that the Brazilian defender had been placed in isolation while awaiting the results of his own COVID-19 test.
After playing Lens on September 10, PSG will face bitter rivals Marseille three days later.
Meanwhile, several members of coach Thomas Tuchel’s team are set to play for their countries in the UEFA Nations League, with Kylian Mbappé and Presnel Kimpembe on the France team for a match against Croatia just 48 hours before the scheduled return to action. of your club.
But its South American stars, including Neymar, are not involved in international action.
The strict rules of the French league stipulate that the team’s collective training sessions must be canceled if a club has at least four positive tests during a period of eight days, with possible postponements of matches.
The cases raise questions as to why the French league decided to postpone PSG’s game in Lens, only for many of its players to travel abroad on vacation during a pandemic.
The last French season ended early, with 10 rounds of matches not played, due to the health crisis, and the start of the new French season has already been affected.
In recent weeks, several Ligue 1 clubs have reported positive results, including Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Nantes and Montpellier.
Marseille’s game against Saint-Etienne on August 21, which was to be the first game of the season, was postponed.
