Not ideal preparation.
After three positive Covid-19 tests (two players and one staff member), 21 members of the South African football delegation were declared contact cases on Monday and confined to their rooms, which caused them to miss two training sessions. training.
So, before his entry into the competition at the Tokyo Games on Thursday, the coach is concerned.
David Notoane is worried that the lack of time to acclimatize to the temperature and humidity of Tokyo will put his players at risk when they arrive on the pitch on Thursday.
He did not hesitate to cite the example of Christian Eriksen, victim of a heart attack at the Euro with his selection of Denmark:
We just have to hope and pray that such a thing does not happen to players who have been inactive for a long time since we arrived here.
"
"Not easy to resume"
The South Africans will be able to play against Japan on Thursday provided they test negative six hours before kick-off.
Their coach said Tuesday that he had 17 players at his disposal and thanked the organizers for not having canceled the match.
Defender Tercious Malepe added that it was "not easy to return to training" after missing two sessions, but that "the players have reacted well" to the new challenge.
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Heart attack
Tokyo Olympics 2021
Olympic Games
Sport
Soccer