Cowardly attacks will not weaken Pakistan's resolve to fight terrorism, says FM    Egypt's TMG 9-month profit jumps 70% on record SouthMed sales    Egypt adds trachoma elimination to health success track record: WHO    Egypt, Latvia sign healthcare MoU during PHDC'25    Egypt joins Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance as health expert wins seat    Egyptian pound gains slightly against dollar in early Wednesday trade    Egypt's Suez Canal Authority, Sudan's Sea Ports Corp. in development talks    Egypt, Uzbekistan explore renewable energy investment opportunities    Egypt's SCZONE, China discuss boosting investment in auto, clean energy sectors    Egypt's ICT sector a government priority, creating 70,000 new jobs, says PM    Tensions escalate in Gaza as Israeli violations persist, humanitarian crisis deepens    Egypt, India explore cooperation in high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing, health investments    Egypt, Sudan, UN convene to ramp up humanitarian aid in Sudan    Egypt releases 2023 State of Environment Report    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Russian security chief discuss Gaza, Ukraine and bilateral ties    Egyptians vote in 1st stage of lower house of parliament elections    Grand Egyptian Museum welcomes over 12,000 visitors on seventh day    400 children with disabilities take part in 'Their Right to Joy' marathon    Egypt repatriates 36 smuggled ancient artefacts from the US    Grand Egyptian Museum attracts 18k visitors on first public opening day    'Royalty on the Nile': Grand Ball of Monte-Carlo comes to Cairo    VS-FILM Festival for Very Short Films Ignites El Sokhna    Egypt's cultural palaces authority launches nationwide arts and culture events    Egypt launches Red Sea Open to boost tourism, international profile    Qatar to activate Egypt investment package with Matrouh deal in days: Cabinet    Hungary, Egypt strengthen ties as Orbán anticipates Sisi's 2026 visit    Omar Hisham Talaat: Media partnership with 'On Sports' key to promoting Egyptian golf tourism    Sisi expands national support fund to include diplomats who died on duty    Madinaty Golf Club to host 104th Egyptian Open    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Busquets tests positive, set to miss Spain opener at Euros
Published in Ahram Online on 07 - 06 - 2021

Spain's preparations for the European Championship have taken a hit after captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday and is in danger of missing key games at the tournament.
Busquets will need to be in isolation for 10 days, and his participation in the European tournament is in doubt. The midfielder is already set to miss the team's opener against Sweden on June 14 in the southern Spanish city of Seville. Spain's second match in Group E is against Poland on June 19, also in Seville.
All other players in the Spanish squad tested negative for COVID-19, the federation said.
The Spanish soccer federation said Busquets left the team's training camp in Madrid on Sunday after the positive test was revealed. It did not provide further detail on Busquets' present condition. Everyone else in close contact with the Barcelona player has been put in isolation as per UEFA and local health safety protocols.
Other national teams' preparations could potentially also be affected as Busquets played for Spain in the warm-up match against Portugal on Friday in Madrid. He exchanged a hug with Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo before the game at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Because of Busquets' positive test result, Spain's final warm-up match against Lithuania on Tuesday will be played with under-21 players.
Further tests will be repeated on the nearly 50 members of the Spanish delegation in coming days. The federation said it will evaluate the next steps regarding Busquets.
Spain coach Luis Enrique can still make changes to the squad in case of COVID-19 infections. The coach picked only 24 players for his squad instead of the 26 allowed for each national team at Euro 2020. He said he didn't want to have too many players who most likely would not get to play during the competition.
Personalized practice routines will be put into place so health safety protocols can be observed as the team continues its preparations for Euro 2020. All media and marketing activities scheduled for Monday were canceled.
The federation said it will fully refund fans if they don't wish to attend Tuesday's match against Lithuania. It will give back 20% of the price paid for the tickets for those who still want to attend the match at the Butarque Stadium near the Spanish capital.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)


Clic here to read the story from its source.