Uefa say Atletico’s Champions League clash with Leipzig will go ahead despite positive Covid-19 tests
Uefa says the Champions League quarter-final between Atletico Madrid and Leipzig is “planned to be played as scheduled” on Thursday despite two positive tests for coronavirus at the Spanish club.
Atletico said all members of the travelling party to Portugal for the one-off match against the Germans underwent tests on Saturday and that two had returned positive results for Covid-19 on Sunday. Those two players were revealed by Atletico to be Argentine forward Angel Correra and Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko.
“After two first-team members tested positive on Saturday and following the health protocol, further exams were carried out on their relatives, all of which were negative,” Atletico said in a statement.
“The first team [returned] to training on Monday evening without Angel Correa, who is asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, and Sime Vrsaljko, who was recovering from an injury and not training with the group.”
Atletico said Uefa, as well as the Spanish and Portuguese football and health authorities, have been informed and that a fresh round of tests will be carried out on the squad as well as the support staff.
They admitted this could mean last-minute changes to travel schedules as well as accommodation plans in the Portuguese capital. “The club will coordinate the new schedules with Uefa and as soon as there is a new plan it will be made public,” added the statement.
However, Uefa are expecting the match between Atletico and Leipzig to go ahead, with a Uefa spokesman saying: “The match is planned to be played as scheduled. We have no further comments to make.” The Champions League had been put on hold since March with the last-16 stage only completed on Friday and Saturday.
Atletico were due to travel to Portugal on Monday for the closing stages of the Champions League which is being held in Lisbon as a precaution rather than risk having teams travelling across Europe for homeand-away ties.
The self-contained tournament stage, involving the eight teams remaining, will be held behind closed doors, starting tomorrow with the final set for Lisbon on August 23.
For its ‘Final Eight’ tournament in Portugal, Uefa has planned strict protocols – each team will have to provide test results before travelling to the country, and will be tested again on the eve of their first match. Each positive test will require the individual to self isolate.