It is a situation, hardly believable, which would almost lend to smile in a health context, less anxiety.
Ukraine, deprived of three of its goalkeepers who tested positive for Covid-19, announced on Wednesday that it had integrated its goalkeeper coach Oleksandr Shovkovskiy into its group for the friendly match against France in the evening in Saint-Denis (9:10 p.m. ).
The national team having remained "with only one healthy goalkeeper, the Blue-Yellow coaching team decided to add Oleksandr Shovkovskiy to the squad," team spokesman Oleksandre Glyvinsky announced on Facebook .
Of its four keepers, Ukraine only had one after the other three tested positive for Covid-19.
Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid) and Yuri Pankiv (FK Oleksandriya) tested positive for the coronavirus after the team arrived in France on Monday and placed in solitary confinement, the spokesman for the AFP told AFP on Tuesday. team, specifying that there was no question of bringing in a new goalkeeper.
New PCR tests this Wednesday
The usual captain and titular goalkeeper, Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), was already forfeited after his positive test announced Monday before leaving for France.
Oleksandr Shovkovskiy will only enter the field if the test of the only keeper still available, Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kiev, 0 selection) proves positive or if the latter is injured during the match, the spokesperson said.
The Ukrainian selection was once again subjected to PCR tests in the morning.
The results are expected around 3 p.m., according to the same source.
Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, 45, has 92 caps for the Ukraine team, the last in 2012. A longtime Dynamo Kiev player, he ended his playing career three years ago and has been working as an assistant coach since 2018. principal of the national team, the Golden Ball 2004 Andrei Shevchenko.
UEFA's protocol specifies that international matches are maintained as long as 13 players are available, including 1 goalkeeper.
Ukraine will face decimated France as positive tests from Andriy Pyatov and his teammate Taras Stepanenko forced the placement in isolation in Ukraine of four other international Shakhtar Donetsk: Mykola Matviienko, Viktor Kovalenko, Marlos and Junior Moraes.
Six other players are also absent because of injuries.
They are Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City), Sergiy Kryvtsov, Sergiy Bolbat and Yevgen Konoplianka (Shakhtar Donetsk) as well as Vitaliy Buyalskyi and Vladyslav Supryaga (Dynamo Kiev).
On the French side, Léo Dubois, tested positive on Tuesday, returned to Lyon and was replaced by Ferland Mendy.