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Croatia’s captain and center back Domagoj Vida was surprisingly substituted at halftime during Wednesday’s friendly match against Turkey. It was only later revealed why Vida was taken out so early. His COVID test from that morning had come back positive.
Vida was quickly isolated from the team and further testing revealed he was indeed positive. This means that he played a full 45 while potentially spreading the virus to teammates and opponents.
Croatia captain Domagoj Vida played the first half of yesterday’s 3-3 draw with Turkey without knowing he had COVID-19.
The Croatia medical team only received results showing he had tested positive at half time. pic.twitter.com/SIfKvczmWM— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 12, 2020
I’m sure Mert Çetin, No. 15 for Turkey, wasn’t too pleased to hear the statement from the Croatian Football Federation after the game. Their statement also defended themselves, claiming that all safety and health protocols had been followed.
"The medical service of the Croatian national team received initial information at the end of the break between the two halves that there was one potentially positive result. This is a common test procedure, and a 'suspicious' finding is retested to confirm the result," the statement read.
"As at that time the coach Zlatko Dalic had already made the decision to change Vida, the medical service of the national team isolated Vida according to all epidemiological measures until the confirmation of the test results. Vida will, in accordance with regulations, spend the next few days in self-isolation in Istanbul.
"All other national team members and staff members, who tested negative, are scheduled to travel to Stockholm. It is taken into account that the national team complied with all epidemiological measures, in accordance with UEFA's Return to Play protocol."
Whether the Croatian Football Federation is guilty of breaking protocol is still up in the air. My question is why the hell are teams playing international friendlies right now?
International friendlies are astronomically high risk with minuscule reward. I can understand playing World Cup/Euro qualifying games and maybe the UEFA Nations League as there is a schedule to keep intact. I can't say the same for international friendly games.
These friendlies have been somewhat pointless to begin with, but playing them while COVID-19 cases are on the rise is moronic. Was it really worth it for Portugal to destroy Andorra 7-0 on Wednesday? Does Croatia tying Turkey 3-3 in a game that means nothing prove anything?
I’m sure Vida’s club Besiktas doesn’t think the friendly was worth it. While it’s unlikely that these top athletes will fall seriously ill to COVID-19, I’m sure they would prefer not to catch it. Players also risk losing valuable playing time with their clubs because they're stuck in quarantine and infecting their international teammates.
Domagoj Vida played the first half against Turkey yesterday and was subbed off at the break when it became known he had tested positive for COVID-19
At Real Madrid, they're worried whether this will affect Luka Modric, who shared a locker room and took this photo with Vida pic.twitter.com/82hD67XCHD— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) November 12, 2020
Vida will have to isolate for the next week or two, missing out on training and potentially missing out on his next club match.
I know we here in the U.S. are freaking out for the USMNT to play Wales, but is flying players all over the world for games that don’t count really worth it? I can firmly say no and that international friendlies are an unnecessary risk to players right now.
