Russian Premier League team FC Rostov infected with coronavirus, school kids sent to play

The Russian Premier League returned on Friday after the league was halted in mid-March in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. As the Russian Premier League return loomed in, the perils of resuming contact sport in the midst of a pandemic came to the fore, after six FC Rostov players tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the club’s 42 personnel into a mandatory 14-day quarantine on the eve of the Russian Premier League restart. The club sent out their youth team for their clash against FC Sochi on Friday night after FC Sochi disagreed to postponing the game. 

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Russian football team coronavirus: FC Rostov coronavirus scandal forces youth team to play in Russian Premier League

The FC Rostov coronavirus testing saw the whole team placed under isolation after six players tested positive. The Russian football team coronavirus testing saw 42 personnel in contact with those infected, forcing a force majeure on the eve of the Russian Premier League restart. FC Rostov, who were 12 points behind leaders Zenit in the Russian Premier League standings, and just three behind a place in next season's Champions League, asked their opponents FC Sochi to postpone the game, which the midtable club declined. With the FC Rostov coronavirus situation forcing the entire first-team under lockdown, the team were forced to send their youth team to the game, with the oldest of them being 19-year-old midfielder Nikita Kolotievsky, while the youngest of them being Maxim Stavtsev, who turned 16 in January. 

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FC Sochi were obliterated by Russian social media, with none of the kids having practised for a game for more than three months, while were attending school via Zoom.

Their lack of sportsman spirit drew the ire of fans online, with many drawing links between Zenit and FC Sochi, while further linking them to Russian President Vladimir Putin.  FC Sochi attracted further detractors when they posted a photo of a sad-looking school kid, with the post stating that the playing field is even and everyone was at school once. Speaking to the media, Rostov president Artashes Arutyunyants said that the health of his players post the FC Rostov Coronavirus scandal was far more important than winning three points and finishing higher in the Russian Premier League standings and offered no comment on FC Sochi's decision to oppose the postponement of the game. 

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(Image Credit: FC Rostov twitter)