Will play, will not play? We still do not know if OM will be able to attempt a 44-year-old streak without a win tomorrow night in Bordeaux tomorrow night. The Girondins are hard hit by the coronavirus epidemic and ask for the meeting to be postponed for several days.
They have so far received a negative response and that did not fail to piss off Admar Lopes. The technical director of the Girondins came to a press conference this afternoon, and even threatens a boycott, or a package. And this, while the regulations stipulate that a meeting is postponed if eleven players are positive. “We have eight players unavailable because of the Covid, but six others resumed yesterday (Wednesday) and are still positive, with symptoms, details the leader. According to Ligue 1 protocol, we have eight absent players but according to our doctor’s opinion, we have six others who are not able to play a Ligue 1 match.“For him, sporting fairness is not respected and the health of the players neglected.”I’m angry because in the past three weeks we’ve had twenty-one positive players. It was already not normal that we play in the Coupe de France. We don’t have the preparation we need for a match of this importance. Our club is not respected. “
“A situation of partial favoritism”, Sampaoli understands the Bordelais
Several hundred kilometers away, Jorge Sampaoli explained that he understood the situation in Bordeaux. “I don’t think they are bluffing (by threatening to forfeit Editor’s note), they are commenting on the situation they are going through, they are very touched at the moment. There are cases of Covid, cases of violence and everyone always sees the tip of their nose in these situations. It has become vulgar in recent months. There is a huge wave of Covid, the main one is health. If we can play this match, it will be played, if we cannot it will not be played. If Bordeaux can’t play this match, it can’t be played. I trust the League and the club to make a good decision. If we don’t play, it will be played at another time. I don’t know if they are lying, but we are in a situation of partial favoritism.“
But as often, the Argentinian technician recalled that neither he nor the leaders had the hand and that the final choice would be up to the authorities. “It is a difficult situation for everyone. The League will make a decision, we will have to respect it.“Its leaders yesterday were less conciliatory. They wrote to the League’s competitions committee, hoping that the rules will be respected. What did not like at all, on the side of Haillan.
Positive cases at OM
It must be said that OM seem relatively spared, for the moment. Five players (Alvaro Gonzalez, Steve Mandanda, Valentin Rongier, Arkadiusz Milik and Gerson) were absent from training this morning. According to OM, the first three were indoors but no information has filtered out for the other two. Jorge Sampaoli confirmed that players were affected but the club did not “not authorized to communicate their name“. It is not Steve Mandanda who is hit in an ankle. Rongier, he was already hit on the sole of the foot this weekend for the Coupe de France match. A little later however, by evoking his management of preparing for a match in uncertainty, he mentioned “3 absent players“.
The situation is thorny anyway, since new cases could still arrive tomorrow. “We are tested every morning in training, explains Amine Harit, we keep the mask in the locker room and in care. It’s complicated, because we had rediscovered real football at the start of the season, so going back to what we experienced last year would be difficult.“The staff also want to take precautions. He warns players to be careful and for example summons fewer young people from the training center to play” sparring “during sessions. But Jorge Sampaoli concedes,”avoid this spread, it is something difficult in this very aggressive situation“.
Concretely and if we add Jordan Amavi (gone to Nice) as well as Pape Gueye and Bamba Dieng (at CAN), Jorge Sampaoli could be deprived of 8 players tomorrow night in Bordeaux. If new positive tests do not appear in the meantime.