The friendly Soccer match between FC Barcelona and Juventus on Saturday night has been postponed, according to the club.
At around 7:00 PM local time, the team tweeted, “FC Barcelona hereby informs that the match against Juventus FC, scheduled for today, July 22, at 7:30 PM at Levi’s Stadium, as part of the Soccer Champions Tour, has been canceled.”
They said, “A sizable portion of the Blaugrana squad has viral gastroenteritis.”
But according to Victor Malo, the Culemania page director for El Espanol, eight Barcelona players have been afflicted by a condition that “is not gastric”.
Malo stated that although Barca believed the virus “could have something to do with one of the players who has been in Africa on vacation,” not all players had visited the continent,the required immunizations to enter his country.
Although the club has not acknowledged these rumors, some Twitter users have speculated that the Barca player in issue may be Alejandro Balde because he traveled to his father’s native Guinea-Bissau in late June together with his brother Edi.
Balde is unquestionably one of the players who has fallen unwell, claims SPORT. According to the publication, Jules Kounde felt sick first, followed by Balde, Eric Garcia, and recently acquired Oriol Romeu from the transfer market.
Fans who purchased tickets to see the La Liga winners up close at the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will be disappointed to learn of the suspension, both in California and internationally.
Furthermore,
People from all over the world who intended to watch the game on television and get a first-hand look at Barca’s new additions will also be let down.
On July 27, 2002, 58,127 spectators watched the two teams’ previous match, which ended in a dramatic 2-2 tie thanks to braces from Ousmane Dembele and Moise Kean on either side of the pitch.
At first, it wasn’t obvious if the scheduled event for tonight would be rescheduled and take place in the coming few days.
However, SPORT reported that it had been postponed and would not be played on another date two hours after Barca’s declaration.
According to reports, Barca attempted to reschedule the game for Sunday night, but the injured players’ physical state means the phrase “cannot be prepared under those conditions” suggests that a match cannot be made.
The squad is on a strict schedule and had originally planned to play four friendly over an 11-day span, but now only three.