South Africa’s soccer team could struggle to field 11 players due to Covid-19 in their Olympic Games opener tomorrow night.
David Notoane’s squad only traveled to Tokyo with 19 players and were then hit with three Covid-positive cases in the camp.
Organisers said late on Monday that 21 members of the delegation were close contacts, leaving SA walking a tightrope ahead of the match.
The number was later reduced to 18.
The Olympic Covid protocols mandate that to compete a close contact must return daily negative PCR tests, including one within six hours of competition.
And with Fifa rules stipulating that teams must have at least 13 players for a match to go ahead, Notoane says: “You are not even sure who will be eligible for your [starting] 11 because of the situation we are in...”
Elaine Lies | [email protected]