Spain have set up a “parallel” squad of 17 reserves for Euro 2020 who may have to play if the COVID-19 infections among its players spread, team management said on Wednesday.
In a decision announced just hours after Spain defender Diego Llorente became the second player to test positive for COVID-19, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced in a statement posted on its website that it was setting up a “parallel bubble”.
The RFEF said it had called in 11 players to join six backups who were already acting as cover for the coronavirus-hit first-choice squad.
Captain Sergio Busquets tested positive on Sunday, just a week before Spain open their Euro campaign on Monday, playing Sweden in Group E in the southern city of Seville.