CROATIA face a crucial Euro 2020 last 16 game against Spain today.
However, they will be without one of their key man – winger Ivan Perisic.
Why isn’t Ivan Perisic playing for Croatia against Spain today?
Ivan Perisic will miss Croatia’s game against Spain after catching coronavirus.
A Croatian FA statement read: “During the evening [of Saturday, June 26], the Croatian Football Association received the results of regular testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which showed that national team member Ivan Perisic was positive for coronavirus.
“The medical service of the national team isolated Ivan from other members of the national team and immediately informed the competent epidemiological service in detail about the situation, with evidence of compliance with all measures to protect against the spread of coronavirus.
“Perisic will spend 10 days in self-isolation and in that period he will not compete for the matches of the Croatian national team.
“All other national team members, staff members and delegations are negative. The national team has a flight from Pula to Copenhagen at 10:35, where they will play the game of the eighth finals of the European Championship against Spain on Monday, June 28.”
Which games will Ivan Perisic miss?
Perisic will definitely miss the last 16 game against Spain and a quarter-final against France or Switzerland, should Croatia qualify.
He is also set to miss a potential semi-final on July 6, which would be his last day in self-isolation.
Did Ivan Perisic catch coronavirus against Scotland?
Croatia beat Scotland 3-1 at Hampden Park just days after Billy Gilmour tested positive for coronavirus.
However, Gilmour was in isolation during that game and there has yet to be any suggestion that Perisic contracted the virus during the Scotland match.
Before the Scotland game, Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic expressed his concern that the virus could enter his camp.
He was particularly annoyed that the team were asked to play the game in Scotland after the Scottish government’s draconian conditions forced them to move their training camp back to Croatia.
Had Croatia been training in Scotland and picked up a positive case, the entire squad would have been forced into isolation.
Dalic said: “There is a pressure for all of us, lasting for a month relating to this situation.
“Every third day we go through the tests. There is psychological pressure and uncertainty.
“So we are afraid something would happen — they test positive and we all end up isolating and having those serious issues.
“I repeat that I hope nobody else is positive. I don’t want this to expand. Hopefully it’s just a single case.
“We are concerned but we have to do this match, we have to play and try to win the three points.
“We have just arrived in Glasgow, had lunch and we are due to have a meeting, but I don’t expect anyone to say they don’t want to play.
“All of them are afraid but nonetheless, we have to play, concentrate on the game and forget everything else.
“We made an exception to not be in the camp [in Scotland], so we are travelling every three days. It’s not good — those are not good conditions.
“The conditions should be the same for all, but they are not the same for all.”
Was Ivan Perisic vaccinated?
Most of the Croatia squad were vaccinated against coronavirus before Euro 2020, but six players were not.
Ivan Perisic’s dad Ante was reported in the Croatian press as saying he was one of the players not to get vaccinated.
