The new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is shaking up the sports calendar and creating incredible puzzles. The Girondins de Bordeaux know something about it. While their workforce is completely decimated by the positive cases of the coronavirus, the Navy and White will be forced to move on the lawn of the Stade Brestois this Sunday (1:45 p.m.) to play their round of 16 of the Coupe de France. Usually, the regulations state that clubs must present on the match sheet at least seven players who have participated in one of the last two official meetings. However, in order to avoid the postponement of some matches this weekend, the French Football Federation FFF has relaxed its rules, according to reports from
RMC Sport
.
"This measure gives clubs the opportunity to draw in reserve and in the youth teams, which should limit the risks of postponements of matches and forfeits of teams for this weekend
", specifies the sports media.
Read alsoCoupe de France: Brest "is convinced that Bordeaux will bring a team" despite 21 positive cases
A totally decimated workforce
The Girondins de Bordeaux will thus move to Finistère with very few professional players available.
The Team
reports that only seven of them could be able to make the trip: Jimmy Briand, Javeiro Dilrosun, Alberth Élis, Josh Maja, Timothée Pembélé, Amadou Traoré and Hwang Ui-Jo. Suffice to say that the midfielder and the defensive sector are completely "stripped". To compensate for these absences, Bordeaux coach Vladimir Petkovic could rely on a dozen players from the reserve as well as several young U19s. “
The Coupe
[de France, note]
is a competition that we want to play hard, but we will not go to Brest to be ridiculous. We will not play a goalkeeper in attack or things like that "
, explained this Thursday Gérard Lopez, the Girondin president on the airwaves of
RMC
.
A real puzzle.