Before the start of the EM, Spain and Sweden are plagued by corona worries.
Both teams have two infected players in their ranks - and more could follow.
Madrid / Gothenburg - The European Football Championship will now be held with a year delay.
The tournament with games in eleven European cities is intended to give people some joy in difficult times of the pandemic.
But now corona infections are causing fear and horror for the two participants, Spain and Sweden.
EM 2021: Corona alarm in Spain and Sweden - further cases possible
The three-time European champions Spain and their European championship opening opponent Sweden have a corona alarm. Less than a week before the direct duel at the start of Group E, both teams have already reported their second Corona case. In Spain, after captain Sergio Busquets, Diego Llorente also tested positive for the corona virus, as the association announced on Wednesday night. This means that team training is currently out of the question in the important preparatory phase. And there is growing concern that other players may have become infected.
The test at Llorente was carried out on Tuesday morning.
Spain actually wanted to do its dress rehearsal against Lithuania that day.
But after Busquets' infection became known on Sunday, a U21 selection played against Lithuania instead and won 4-0.
"There can be more positive (findings), it is likely that that will happen," said association boss Luis Rubiales on the sidelines of the game.
The German opponent Portugal was apparently also affected by Busquets' corona infection.
More positive (findings) can come, this is likely to happen.
Luis Rubiales
EM 2021: Sweden reacts to the corona outbreak - measures tightened
The Swedes around RB Leipzig midfield star Emil Forsberg announced on Tuesday evening that after Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus Turin, Mattias Svanberg from FC Bologna had also tested positive for Corona. Both players were isolated according to the hygiene measures. To avoid further cases, rapid tests are to be carried out on the players and the number of PCR tests to be increased.
Tactical and other meetings with the team are carried out in small groups in the largest possible space.
The players should only be treated for a limited time and this - as far as possible - should be done outdoors.
Planned joint activities indoors have been canceled, and joint bus trips have been further reduced.
In addition, the number of players in the sports hall or other facilities remains reduced.
EM 2021: Spain builds B-Team - game cancellation should be prevented
The news from the Spanish and Swedish camps should also have startled the European Football Union. UEFA has already drawn up regulations for such cases. If there are one or more positive Corona findings, the game can be played as long as a team can muster 13 players, including a goalkeeper, whose tests were negative. For this purpose, players can also be appointed, for them others have to be deleted from the original roster. If a move is impossible, the UEFA Disciplinary Committee decides. The team that is responsible for the cancellation will be rated 0: 3 as a loser.
It's not that far yet. But with EM co-favorite Spain, the preparation is severely disrupted. Only individual training is currently on the agenda. Luis Enrique has since nominated goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Rodrigo Moreno, Pablo Fornals, Carlos Soler, Brais Méndez and Raúl Albiol. These professionals train isolated from the team in their own so-called bubble and are ready to join the team. On Wednesday, eleven more players were selected from the U21 squad. Obviously not only the opponents but also the virus have to be defeated in order to land at the top of the European Championship. The German national team recently moved into their EM quarters and was spared corona infections.
(ck / dpa)