Euro 2020: Spain skipper Sergio Busquets tests positive for Covid-19

Spain skipper Sergio Busquets. Pic/AFP

Spain skipper Sergio Busquets has tested positive just a week before the start of Euro 2020. As a precautionary measure, Spain will now lock horns with Lithuania with members of the Under 21 National Team.

"The RFEF regrets to announce that its captain Sergio Busquets has given a positive result in the last PCR test that was carried out this morning at the concentration of the national team in Las Rozas. The rest of the members of the concentration have all tested negative," Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said in an official statement.

According to the governing body, both the workers and the close contacts of the player will remain isolated for prevention in the concentration of the national team and personalized training routines will be activated, maintaining the isolation, to continue with the preparation of Euro 2020. Last month, Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos was left out of the Spain squad for the tournament.

On the other hand, Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte, who switched his football nationality, was named in the squad.

Ramos has been hampered by injury problems in the recently concluded LaLiga season and had missed quite a bit of games in the past, including the Champions League first-leg semifinal against Chelsea.

European football's governing body UEFA increased the squad lists from 23 players to 26 for Euro 2020 to "mitigate the risks of teams facing a shortage of available players" as coronavirus continues to rage.

According to UEFA, 23 players shall remain the maximum number permitted on the match sheet for each individual match (in accordance with Law 3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game permitting a maximum of 12 substitutes to be named for A-national team matches), including three goalkeepers.

UEFA also said new regulations will now also allow goalkeepers to be replaced before each match during the tournament in case of physical incapacity even if one or two goalkeepers from the player list are still available.

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