Monday 29 November 2021
44 people in isolation
Omicron eruption after Lisbon farce
After a corona outbreak at Belenenses SAD, there is a first scandal. The bottom of the Portuguese league can only start the city derby against Benfica with nine players. The president of the association is concerned. One player had returned from South Africa. A reasonable concern.
The abandoned game between Belenenses SAD and Benfica Lisbon is developing into one of the blackest chapters in Portuguese football history. The new Corona variant Omikron has been found in 13 players and other members of the small capital city club. This was announced by the general secretary of the health authority, Graca Freitas. These are the first known cases of the new variant in Portugal.
“We’re all in isolation, except for the youth team that didn’t play on Saturday. 44 people are isolated at home,” said a Belenenses spokesman: “Two or three players and two or three employees have symptoms, but nothing serious. The rest are symptom-free. We’re all waiting for the tests to be repeated as soon as they are approved by health authorities. ”
The Lisbon derby was canceled on Saturday when the score was 0: 7. After the Corona outbreak at Belensenes, in which a total of 17 team members, including 14 players and head coach Filipe Candido, were infected, the club was only able to compete with 9 players in the “starting eleven”. Among them was a substitute goalkeeper who played as an outfield player.
Health authority rejects allegations
After 48 minutes, only 6 of the original 9 players remained. The referee broke off the game in accordance with the statutes. “The league is a shame,” the fans chanted, and Benfica president Rui Costa agreed. At the press conference after the game, he spoke of “a black chapter for Portuguese football and the whole country”.
Belenenses President Rui Pedro Soares had already expressed concern on Saturday and established a connection to the new Corona variant. The South African international Cafú Phete only returned from his home country on Thursday and then tested positive for the corona virus for the third time.
Both Costa and Soares had emphasized after the scandal that despite the outbreak they had no choice but to play the game. They blamed the league and the health authorities for not canceling the game. Freitas denied any responsibility on the part of the authority in approving the lot.