Euro 2020 - Slovakia defender Denis Vavro tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of Sweden game

Updated 17/06/2021 at 12:40 GMT

Denis Vavro and a member of Slovakia's coaching staff have tested positive for coronavirus. Head coach Stefan Tarkovic announced the news on Thursday ahead of Slovakia's clash with Sweden on Friday in Russia. The game is still set to go ahead and Vavro is now in isolation.

Denis Vavro of Slovakia gestures during a Slovakia national team training session ahead of their UEFA Euro 2020 match against Poland

Image credit: Getty Images

Slovakia defender Denis Vavro and a member of the team’s coaching staff have tested positive for coronavirus, head coach Stefan Tarkovic confirmed.

They will both go into isolation under UEFA rules, but Tarkovic said neither were feeling unwell and were so far showing no symptoms.

Slovakia play Sweden on Friday in St Petersburg and the head coach said the game would still go ahead despite the outbreak in the camp.

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“We started to work with the Russian public health authorities,” Tarkovic said.

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“We started to apply the corresponding UEFA protocol. So we took all the steps to avoid the spread of the infection.”

Slovakia’s clash against Sweden is a crucial one in Group E with Tarkovic’s side currently top of the table after Spain’s disappointing opening game draw against Sweden.

The positive tests in Slovakia’s camp are their first since the tournament began, while Spain, Russia and Sweden suffered outbreaks before their first games.

Sweden had two players sidelined, with Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg missing the draw against Spain.

UEFA protocols are in place for potential Covid-19 outbreaks. If a team have fewer than 13 players available then a game can be rescheduled within the next 48 hours and possibly at a different venue.

"Any additional player called up to meet the minimum of 13 players requires that an equivalent number of quarantined players are definitively withdrawn from the 26 players list," the European body said.

Russia's Andrey Mostovoy and Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen were both removed from their squads after returning positive tests, but so far Euro 2020 has largely escaped too much disruption due to outbreaks in squads.

Euro 2020 is being held across Europe with larger crowds being allowed into certain stadiums, depending on the country's coronavirus restrictions.