Olympiacos upset after players contract virus on international duty

Agence France-Presse ·
PIRAEUS, GREECE - MARCH 12: A detailed view of the logo on a corner flag of Olympiacos FC during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg match between Olympiacos FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Karaiskakis Stadium on March 12, 2020 in Piraeus, Greece. The match is played behind closed doors as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Sam Bagnall - AMA / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Piraeus, Greece, Nov 19, 2020 (AFP) - Greek club Olympiacos on Thursday criticised FIFA's decision to allow national teams to play during the pandemic after two of their players contracted Covid-19 on international duty.

The Piraeus club will be missing coronavirus positive Moroccan Youssef El-Arabi and Egyptian Ahmed Hassan for two weeks as they self-isolate.

"All the clubs in Europe are investing huge sums to keep their players safe, but unfortunately they continue to suffer losses due to the unreasonable decision to hold national team matches at the height of the pandemic," said Olympiacos general manager Lina Souloukou on twitter.

Coach Pedro Martins is also facing the absence of French midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, who suffered a fracture during practice.

"Unfortunately, I got injured in practice and I will miss the next few weeks," said Valbuena.

The three players will most likely miss the next four games, the Super League derby with Panathinaikos on Saturday, next week's Champions League date with Manchester City, followed by Aris Thessaloniki and then Marseille on December 1.

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