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sports Diamars 8 Juni 2021

Spain again has to weather a storm before a major tournament

(AP) — For the third The Spaniards had an even
straight time, Spain's bigger problem to over-
preparations for a major come three years ago, when
soccer tournament have the local soccer federation
taken a hit just before it is fired coach Julen Lopetegui
set to start playing. two days before the team's
opening World Cup match
After having to overcome in Russia after he took a job
problems ahead of the 2016 with Real Madrid without
European Championship properly advising federation
and the 2018 World Cup, officials.
"La Roja" enters Euro 2020
having to deal with the scare The firing left Spain's training
of a COVID-19 outbreak camp in chaos, with sport-
that could jeopardize its title ing director Fernando Hi-
chances. erro suddenly taking over as
coach. Spain had been among
Captain Sergio Busquets the title favorites at the time,
tested positive for the coro- The players arriving on Tues- nificantly affecting the team's first warm-up match on Fri- coming off a string of good
navirus on Sunday and has day are Rodrigo Moreno, preparations because every- day, a 0-0 draw against Por- results under Lopetegui, but
his participation in the tour- Pablo Fornals, Carlos Soler, one else in close contact with tugal in the Spanish capital. it ended up being eliminated
nament in doubt. He is al- Brais Méndez and Raúl Al- him also had to isolate. Prac- Spain is set to open play in by Russia in the round of 16
ready set to miss the team's biol. The federation said they tice sessions had to be altered Group E against Sweden, after winning only one of its
opener against Sweden on will not have any contact and personalized training then face Poland on June 19 three group matches.
June 14 after starting a 10-day with the players previously routines were put in place so and Slovakia on June 23. All
period of isolation away from selected for the European health safety protocols could of its matches will be played The controversy before Euro
the team's training camp. tournament. be observed, the Spanish soc- in the southern Spanish city 2016 also surfaced shortly
cer federation said. of Seville. before the tournament, with
There were fears more in- "Taking into consideration starting goalkeeper David
fections could be detected, the possible consequences The team also won't get to Luis Enrique has until Satur- de Gea having his name in-
but no one else in the squad that Busquets' positive result play its final warm-up match day to make changes to the volved in an investigation
tested positive on Monday. could bring, the coaching scheduled for Tuesday against squad in cases of injuries or into a Spanish pornography
Testing was set to continue staff has decided to incor- Lithuania. Spain will use COVID-19. When he an- filmmaker. He immediate-
among players and staff in porate a group of players to players from the under-21 nounced his list, the coach ly denied wrongdoing and
the coming days, and coach complete training during the squad, as well as its coach, for said he would probably use eventually was fully cleared.
Luis Enrique called up five next few days under Luis En- the match in Madrid. under-21 players as replace-
additional players to begin rique's orders within a paral- ments if needed. He only Then-coach Vicente Del
practicing at the team's train- lel bubble," the Spanish fed- The national team players selected 24 players instead of Bosque also couldn't avoid
ing camp in case they were eration said. were not vaccinated against the 26 allowed for each na- the subject in news confer-
needed as replacements. The COVID-19, which gener- tional team, saying he didn't ences. Spain got through the
federation said others were Spain was yet to announce ated some criticism as Span- want to call up too many group stage but was eliminat-
expected to be called up later whether Busquets would ish athletes competing at the players who would not likely ed by Italy, also in the round
in the week. be dropped from the squad, Tokyo Olympics have been. be used at the tournament. of 16.
but his case was already sig- Busquets started in Spain's

Russia chafes at Ukrainian team's shirt for Euro 2020

(AP) — A tense tug-of- Andrii Pavelko, the president spokeswoman Maria Zakha- Another Russian lawmaker, in place since 2014 to sepa-
war between Russia and of the Ukrainian soccer as- rova scoffed at the design as a former professional boxer rate the two countries' na-
Ukraine has spread to soc- sociation, presented the new "desperate" gesture. Nikolai Valuev, also con- tional teams and club teams
cer, with Russian officials uniform on Facebook on demned the Ukrainian uni- prevented them from being
and lawmakers denounc- Sunday, hailing it as a symbol She also ranted against the form as an "unseemly attempt drawn together.
ing the design of the of the "single and undivided Ukrainian national slogan — to politicize sports."
Ukrainian national team's homeland" that would in- "Glory to Ukraine, glory to "They can dream about what The tournament draw also
shirt for this month's Eu- spire players to "fight for en- the heroes!" — written on the they want," Valuev said, "but prevents Ukraine and Russia
ropean Championship. tire Ukraine." uniform. Zakharova charged Crimea is part of the Russian from facing each other in the
that the rant was used by Federation and it's not up for round of 16.
The yellow-and-blue Ukrai- Pavelko is a member of the Ukrainian nationalists, some discussion."
nian design features a map executive committee of Eu- of whom fought against the Russia will host seven Euro
of the country including ropean soccer body UEFA, Soviet Union alongside the Ukraine and Russia both 2020 games in St. Petersburg.
Crimea, the Black Sea pen- which signed off on the de- Nazis in World War II. qualified for the 24-team None will involve Ukraine.
insula that Russia annexed in sign for the tournament. tournament but a UEFA rule
2014 following the ouster of Several Russian lawmakers
its Moscow-friendly presi- "The shirt of the Ukrainian also lashed out at the Ukrai-
dent. national team (and of all other nian uniform's design.
teams) for UEFA Euro 2020 Dmitry Svishchev, a member
Most of the world hasn't ac- has been approved by UEFA, of the Russian parliament's
knowledged the annexation in accordance with the ap- lower house, denounced the
and international law still plicable equipment regula- Ukrainian uniform as a polit-
recognizes Crimea as Ukrai- tions," the Switzerland-based ical gesture designed to draw
nian territory. Russia also has organization said. sports into politics.
cast its support behind sepa- "It's setting the stage for a
ratists in eastern Ukraine, Russia quickly reacted with conflict using the uniform,"
where seven years of fighting dismay. he said. "Sports arenas aren't
has killed more than 14,000. for political declarations."
Russian Foreign Ministry