Sergi Martinez and three other members of the technical staff have tested positive for Covid-19 after Barça carried out a new batch of PCR tests today. With the contagion of the forward, Barça already accumulates six cases among the players and seven among the staff members, including Saras Jasikevicius, for a total of 13 positives.
The contagion of the youth squad joins those of Laprovittola and Davies, who tested positive on the 31st, those of Kuric and Calathes, on the 28th, and on Pierre Oriola, tested on 23. With the three more cases among staff members, there are already seven members of the coaching staff with coronavirus out of the 15 that comprise it.
Barça is now facing two different scenarios due to the difference between the ACB and Euroleague protocols. In the domestic championship, despite the positive from Sergi Martínez, the Barça team would continue to be in a position to play against Manresa at the Palau since they would meet the minimum of nine players of the first team requested by the ACB. TO Exum, Sanli, Smits, Hayes, Higgins and Mirotic All the positives would join except Sergi Martínez, the only one who would not have complied with the mandatory seven days of quarantine: Oriola, Kuric, Calathes – who was already about to return after his injury – Davies and Laprovittola. Jokubaitis is not included because it has a filial record.
Would also arrive Saras and the three of the members of the coaching staff who tested positive on the 31st. However, the ACB protocols are flexible, since despite requiring a minimum of nine players from the first team, the club in question can register young players from the subsidiary as senior players at any time to reach that minimum.
However, the current Euroleague regulations are the one that worries the club. The maximum continental competition demands 14 days quarantine to play and, before that period, neither Kuric, nor Calathes, nor Davies, nor Laprovittola -not of course Sergi Martínez-, would arrive at the game on Friday, day 7, on the court of CSKA Moscow, without forgetting that Alex Abrines will not reappear yet. I would only get back to Oriola. Despite this, Barça would see forced to play, as the Euroleague asks for a minimum of eight registered players available to compete. With Exum, Sanli, Smits, Hayes, Oriola, Higgins, Jokubaitis and Mirotic as members of the first team, it would already reach that minimum, to which we must add Caicedo, Ubal, Villar, Nnanji and Bonilla, Subsidiary players registered in the highest continental competition.
On the occasion of dealing with the uncertainty scenario generated by Covid-19-, the club owners of the Euroleague -among them Barça, Real Madrid and Baskonia-, will meet telematically this Monday morning. The Barça club is waiting for this assembly to see if the 14-day rule is modified, as it would arrive at the match against CSKA Under minimum.
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