Since the end of the winter break, each day has brought its share of bad news, to the point of threatening to disrupt the resumption of L1 in 2022 this weekend for the 20th day.

Like the English Premier League in recent weeks, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain or Bayern Munich in Germany (8 sick players), French football is not immune to the resurgence of the pandemic linked to the Omicron variant.

After the postponement of the meeting between Angers and Saint-Etienne, initially scheduled for Sunday, due to an outbreak on the SCO side (19 players affected), the poster between Bordeaux and Marseille, Friday, remains threatened due to serial contaminations at the Girondins.

Doubts also remain around Lille-Lorient, scheduled for Saturday, after the discovery of positive tests within the two formations.

Losc deplores seven sick players, but announced on Tuesday that it had not detected any additional cases.

The Hake have eight infected, plus four members of the staff.

"A very strange virus"

In L1, a club can request the postponement of a match if it does not have the morning of the match of a minimum of 20 players (including a goalkeeper) on its official list of 30 declared, i.e. from 11 players affected the same time.

PSG is not there (five cases), but it may have to do without important assets for the shock in Lyon on Sunday.

Bordeaux with a novice goalkeeper Davy Rouyard lost in Brest in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, January 2, 2022 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP / Archives

The presence of Lionel Messi, whose positive test was announced on Saturday, remains uncertain.

The Argentinian, who had visited his native country during the holidays, is waiting for a favorable result to be able to return to France.

The package of goalkeeper Donnarumma is recorded, the Italian international having tested positive Tuesday, the day after the Coupe de France match in which he took part.

His participation in this round of 16 in Vannes (4-0) raises fears of other positive cases among his teammates in the days to come.

"It's a very strange virus," his trainer Mauricio Pochettino admitted on Monday.

This increase in cases, as well as the new instructions issued by the government on the isolation of patients and their contact cases, prompted the Professional Football League (LFP) to review its health protocol on Tuesday.

Main novelty of the document, which AFP was able to consult: L1 and L2 players will now be subjected to a test 48 hours before each meeting, whether or not they are vaccinated, and will only be able to participate in the match in the event of negative result.

Reduced isolation

Previously, the formations were not obliged to test their vaccinated players, which has created a beginning of controversy in recent days.

"It seems to me to be a problem. It lacks clarity, it would be necessary to align everyone", annoyed Monday the coach of Lille Jocelyn Gourvennec.

The new text should also make it possible to reduce the duration of isolation for sick players, which could make it possible to avoid certain postponements.

The previous protocol, dated December 7, provided for a minimum and incompressible duration of absence of 17 days, between the 10 days of compulsory isolation and the 7 days of resumption of training with distancing.

Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec during his team's trip to Wolfsburg, December 8, 2021 Ronny HARTMANN AFP / Archives

From now on, a vaccinated player who tests positive will have to isolate himself for 7 whole days, a period which can be reduced to 5 days in the event of a negative test and absence of symptoms.

For an unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated player, these periods are fixed at 10 and 7 days respectively.

The recovery and re-athletic period remains fixed at 7 days.

"The collective resumption (training or match) is therefore at best on the 13th day" for a vaccinated player, specifies the text which also provides for the wearing of the compulsory mask in stadiums from 6 years old.

Finally, the document confirms the government principle of a gauge reduced to 5,000 people in the stages of L1 and L2, while the clubs were rather campaigning for gauges proportional to the size of the enclosure.

As a result, the LFP dispensed clubs from the obligation to reserve part of the places for visiting supporters.

© 2022 AFP