After Romelu Lukaku revealed 23 out of 25 Inter players had Coronavirus-style symptoms in January, questions are raised about Gaetano Castrovilli’s mystery illness at Fiorentina.
The first official case of COVID-19 in Italy – not from Chinese tourists – was not until mid-February, so when people did have cough, fever or severe flu symptoms before that, they were not tested.
After Romelu Lukaku revealed 23 out of 25 Inter players had Coronavirus-style symptoms in January, questions are raised about Gaetano Castrovilli’s mystery illness at Fiorentina.
The first official case of COVID-19 in Italy – not from Chinese tourists – was not until mid-February, so when people did have cough, fever or severe flu symptoms before that, they were not tested.
“We had a week off in December, we returned to work and I swear that 23 out of 25 players were ill. I am not kidding,” said Lukaku.
“We played against Radja Nainggolan’s Cagliari and after about 25 minutes, one of our defenders had to leave the pitch. He could not continue and almost fainted.”
That was Milan Skriniar on January 26, who at the time officially was just suffering from a particularly bad flu.
If the illness was not just present in the country at that time, but among Serie A players, how many more were infected and don’t know?
The mind wanders back inevitably to Fiorentina midfielder Castrovilli, who crumpled to the ground during a match against Genoa on January 25.
Like Skriniar, he felt dizzy, faint and dazed, spending the night in hospital for observation.
Fiorentina have had several members of staff and three players – Patrick Cutrone, Dusan Vlahovic, German Pezzella – who tested positive in March.
The protocol for Serie A players to return to training includes blood tests to check for antibodies, a sign that someone had the virus and recovered from it.
We could well see the results of those tests reveal far, far more players than anyone realised have already had COVID-19.
To a certain extent, this could be good, as it’d mean they should have immunity, at least for the time being.
However, as the virus can have after-effects on the heart and respiratory system, as well as the kidneys, they will need to undergo more thorough tests to ensure they can safely get back on the pitch.