January 13 – Paris Saint-Germain have called off their winter camp in Qatar and friendly in Saudi Arabia because of the rise of coronavirus infections in France.
The French league leaders were scheduled to fly to Doha for a three-day training camp before playing an exhibition match in Riyadh, but a spike in Covid-19 cases because of the Omicron variant in France and in their own squad has led PSG to cancel the trip to the Arab peninsula.
“In view of the health situation in France, Paris Saint-Germain has decided to postpone the Qatar Winter Tour 2022 to protect the health of its staff and players,” the Parisian club in a statement.
Argentina star Lionel Messi, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, defender Juan Bernat and midfielders Danilo Pereira, Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria have all tested positive for the coronavirus.
In the last seven days, France has averaged more than 250,000 positive tests with more than 200 deaths a day on average. On Thursday, teachers across the country will go on strike to voice their dismay over the implementation of the government’s Covid-19 policies at schools.
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