The French Handball Federation announced Thursday that Nikola Karabatic had tested positive for Covid-19. Placed in isolation, the star of the Blues will therefore miss the start of the preparation for the European Championship (January 13 to 30 in Hungary and Slovakia), from Sunday to Thursday next in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).
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Two other players are in the same situation, his Parisian teammate Benoît Kounkoud and Montpellier’s Yanis Lenne. Vincent Gérard, touched by a family tragedy, will also be absent from this first internship. The participation of these four players in the competition is not in question for the time being.
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These defections follow the injury announced at the end of the afternoon of Nedim Remili, victim of a broken left foot and forfeit for the Euro. As a result, Guillaume Gille, the coach of the France team, called on Wesley Pardin (Aix), Julien Bos (Montpellier) and Thibaud Briet (Nantes) for the first training camp.
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He will not be able to resume training before January 1
According to our information, the eldest of the Karabatic brothers, who is currently with his in-laws in Strasbourg, was tested on Wednesday after feeling symptoms of the disease, including severe fatigue. In isolation for ten days, he will not be able to resume training before at least January 1, and his resumption will have to be done gradually, according to the planned medical protocol.
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His absence for a good part of the preparation further complicates the situation for the staff of the France team, who must rethink the offensive game after Remili’s withdrawal. Right-back in the club, the latter has been the titular center-half of the selection, custodian of the game for a year. But Nikola Karabatic was precisely one of the natural alternatives to this position with Kentin Mahé and the neophyte Aymeric Minne.
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Concerns on the right
All PSG players have been on the alert since three of their teammates tested positive last Saturday in Metz, the morning of the Coupe de la Ligue semi-final against Chambéry (28-29). Benoît Kounkoud was one of the three cases that occurred that day and should therefore be able to resume earlier than Karabatic.
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His absence at the start of the preparation, coupled with that of Yanis Lenne (who was also present in Metz with his team from Montpellier), however, represents a real disruption because the two players play in the same position of right winger.
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