Cristiano Ronaldo (Getty Images)
Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and men’s golf world number one
Dustin Johnson both tested positive for the coronavirus as a surge in
cases cast a shadow over the return of professional sport.
Ronaldo, the 35-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner, is
asymptomatic but has withdrawn from Portugal’s Nations League game
against Sweden on Wednesday. He played in Sunday’s 0-0 draw against
France.
“We have respected all the health measures… and yet it happened,”
Portugal coach Fernando Santos told reporters. The rest of the Portugal
squad, and France’s players, have all tested negative.
America’s Johnson, 36, was forced out of this week’s CJ Cup in Las
Vegas as he became the highest-profile golfer to test positive for
Covid-19. Johnson said he was “very disappointed”.
The positive tests by two of the world’s top athletes highlight a
rash of cases coinciding with the return of many sports competitions in
recent weeks, often in bio-secure “bubbles” and behind closed doors.
The cases, seen everywhere from football to cycling, rugby union,
rugby league, American football and Formula One, also mirror a surge in
Covid-19 across much of the world, including Europe and the United
States.
Professional sport was brought to a halt worldwide as the pandemic
advanced in March, threatening an industry estimated to be worth
hundreds of billions of dollars. But many competitions have now emerged
from their shutdowns.
Ronaldo ‘sunbathing’
Ronaldo, one of the
world’s best paid athletes, was “fine and sunbathing” after his positive
test, according to Juventus team-mate Giorgio Chiellini.
However, the incident renews controversy over his departure from
Turin, where health authorities said it was a breach of virus protocols,
and underlines the difficulty of international competition.
Ronaldo and other Juventus stars left to join up with their national
teams despite the Italian champions’ squad being in isolation after two
staff members tested positive.
Elsewhere, Scotland and Ireland’s plans for crucial Euro 2020 playoff
matches were also disrupted by coronavirus cases, while others were
forced into self-isolation after team-mates tested positive.
China-based Italy forward Stephan El Shaarawy tested positive and
then negative before a friendly against the Netherlands in Bergamo,
intended as a tribute to the city which was hard-hit by the pandemic.
Coach Pavel Hapal was among nine cases in Slovakia’s camp ahead of
Wednesday’s Nations League match against Israel. And Senegal’s home
friendly with Mauritania was called off after the visitors reported
eight positive tests.
England manager Gareth Southgate, whose team play Denmark on
Wednesday and are due to face New Zealand, Belgium and Iceland next
month, defended the decision to press ahead with international games.
“The reality of the world at the moment is we don’t know what the
rules will be. In this day and age you have to live form week to week,”
said Southgate.
“There is no reason international football should be a higher risk.”
Bubble ‘breach’
American football is also
under pressure with the National Football League admitting the season
could be extended after games were moved following a cluster of cases
affecting the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, including
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
“We will have flexibility to be able to complete our season for the
Super Bowl. That’s the goal,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
However, officials played down the prospect of finishing the post-season
in a bubble.
In cycling, two teams, Mitchelton and Jumbo-Visma, were forced out of
the Giro d’Italia after eight positive cases in one day. The three-week
race, now down to 21 teams, still has nearly two weeks to run.
Jumbo’s Dutch rider Jos van Emden questioned the bubble put in place
to avoid coronavirus infections, again underlining the complexity of
organising competitions during a pandemic.
“In the hotel buffets, there were people who were not part of the bubble,” he told The Cycling Podcast.
In English rugby league, Salford will have to make team changes for
the Challenge Cup final against Leeds, after two players tested positive
and two were inconclusive.
A number of rugby union players, including Italy’s Gloucester
scrum-half Stephen Varney, have also tested positive. But after the
coronavirus was contained in New Zealand, the All Blacks and Australia
will play the second Bledisloe Cup Test in front of packed crowds in
Auckland on Sunday.
