The tribulations of Granada: punished by COVID-19 and marked by LaLiga

For once, the famous FIFA Virus has saved Granada from having to skirt the Regulations as happened last week against Real Sociedad as there was no league match. Machís, Luis Suárez, Neuhén and Domingos Duarte who debuted with Portugal, were able to skip the quarantine imposed on a large part of the Granada squad and coaching staff due to the COVID outbreak that broke out in the team during their trip to Cyprus to face the qualifying round of Europa League against Omonia. A situation that has had the bulk of the group working in their respective homes. Soldier, Eteki and Jorge Molina have done it in the Sports City.

The alley with little exit in which the circumstances and the zeal of LaLiga have put the club was analyzed a few days ago by its general director, Antonio Fernández Monterrubio that described as “very hard” and “not rigorous” the statement of the body chaired by Javier Tebas. Granada flees from confrontations, but expects an outstretched hand.

The match against Real Sociedad was an example of sacrifice and honesty in the face of tremendous adversity. Seven professionals and eight rookies at once. “The bar has been set very high with the measures that have been taken and we have been the precedent. Let's see what happens now. The bar is quite high ”reflected Monterrubio.

These are the facts. It all started on October 30 with a positive from Fran Sánchez (sports director), then those of Jesús Vallejo, Raúl Espínola and José Alfonso Morcillo (the last two of the coaching staff) arrived. This made it necessary to individualize the training sessions and do PCR. All negative except Diego Martínez in inconclusive result. Then travel to Cyprus. Quick tests in the Sports City. Diego tested positive in this test and as a precaution he did not travel. In Nicosia, symptoms of Antonio Puertas and Manolo Lucena (the delegate). New PCR tests and all negative except for one member of the first team not belonging to the coaching staff. No body indicated to the club that it did not ask to make such a trip.

The club received an email from LaLiga with recommendations for said trip that were scrupulously followed. “The UEFA delegate congratulated me after the Cyprus game on how we had managed the situation.” Monterrubio comments. It is interesting to note that the LaLiga and UEFA protocols are different. Granada, without being obliged to do so, applies the LaLiga protocol in European matches (not wearing changing rooms, traveling in two buses, etc).

After confirming the symptoms of Puertas, Monterrubio contacted LaLiga. The club takes measures in agreement with the employer. In the run-up to the match against Real, Granada asked to postpone the match for “security” and “responsibility”. LaLiga responds that only people with negative PCR who have not been in Cyprus or positive IGGs can travel to San Sebastián. There are three players that, according to medical services, are not available, they are Soldado, Kenedy and Jorge Molina. There are no players. As the Competition Committee does not agree either, Granada travels with what it can and less. Very hard.

The club remembers the precedent of Dinamo Kiev, who traveled to Barcelona despite having more positive cases. Granada has always complied with all the protocols with the Junta de Andalucía and LaLiga given the harsh circumstances that the world is experiencing and specifically the city of Granada.

The outcome is known. Roberto Soldado, without discharge from the medical service, assumed the responsibility of playing in a gesture of enormous courage and infinite professionalism. Kenedy was also not fit and broke in San Sebastián for a month. Jorge Molina was not well either. The reality is that Granada was not allowed to compete on equal terms. And even so, LaLiga has opened a disciplinary file “for the use of the changing rooms in excess of minutes” as Monterrubio explains.

This Sunday, new PCRs will be carried out to all team members. It will be important to see what can happen for the next game against Valladolid. Depending on the results, the majority confinement may end.