Will the Covid-19 get the better of the great Comorian adventure of this CAN 2022? After the Tunisian selection, it is the turn of the team from the African archipelago, which came out of the pools to everyone’s surprise, to be affected by a large wave of cases. In total, no less than twelve members of the Comorian group returned positive PCR tests for the coronavirus on Saturday morning, as announced by the Comoros Football Federation via a video on its Twitter account.
Of the twelve people concerned, seven are players, including two goalkeepers: Moyadh Ousseini and Ali Ahamada. While the third goalkeeper Ben Boina is injured, the Coelacanthes therefore find themselves without an available goalkeeper to play just two days before a historic round of 16 against Cameroon, the organizing country. Coach Amir Abdou and two staff physiotherapists are also among the positive cases. “It’s a difficult moment, we’re trying to do everything in our power to try to find alternative solutions, but without the coach and especially without our goalkeepers, the solution is quite complicated,” said El Hadad Himidi, general manager. of the team in the video posted on Twitter. We do not lose hope, we will try to find solutions. »
A field player in goal?
The presence of a professional porter in the cages of the Comoros therefore seems highly compromised even if new tests could be carried out tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. And for good reason, the protocol of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) conditions the presence of players in the stadium to a negative PCR test of less than 24 hours.
On the other hand, the holding of the round of 16 against Cameroon is not threatened in the state. CAF protocol provides “that a team will be required to play a match if it has a minimum of eleven players available who have tested negative. The same document specifies that “in the event of the absence of a goalkeeper, another player from the team must replace the goalkeeper, provided that the total number of players available is at least eleven. »
