June 5 – A Covid-related row has broken out in Italian football after Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted to having coronavirus symptoms when his team played Valencia in the Champions League in March.
Gasperini has sought to clarify his comments saying the controversy surrounding his behaviour, which prompted a statement from the Spanish club criticising him, was “offensive”.
“It’s a controversy that I really find very insulting. I know I followed the protocols,” Gasperini told Sky. “I was in quarantine like everyone else. I did not do a swab test but in May when we did serological tests I discovered that I had contracted the virus.
“It was a period when I had discomfort. But I had no fever or lung problems of any kind. When we left Bergamo, I was fine. So I think it happened but the controversy is insulting and unpleasant.”
Atalanta hail from Bergamo in northern Italy, which was the epicentre of the new coronavirus in Europe. Gasperini told Gazzetta Dello Sport last weekend he was sick when Atalanta beat Valencia 4-3 behind closed doors on March 10 to book a surprise quarter-finals spot with an 8-4 aggregate victory.
“The day before the Valencia game I was sick, the afternoon of the game it was worse. I didn’t look good on the bench,” said Gasperini.
Valencia said they were “surprised” by Gasperini’s admission in Sunday’s interview with Gazzetta dello Sport that he had the symptoms before the game but did not tell anyone, with the Spanish club adding he had “put numerous people at risk”.
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