Deportes

Spain to vaccinate Euro 2020 squad over virus worries

AFP/Editor

Spain’s Euro 2020 squad is to be vaccinated against Covid-19 just days before the start of the tournament, the Health Minister Carolina Darias said Wednesday after two players tested positive.

“We are going to vaccinate all the players in the Spanish squad” with the (two dose) Pfizer vaccine administered by “the armed forces”, Darias told a press conference.

The announcement of this additional measure against the virus came after the team’s management said it had set up a “parallel” squad of 17 reserves who may have to play if infections spread among its players.

The sudden decision came after Spain defender Diego Llorente became the second player to test positive for Covid-19 overnight, after the same happened with captain Sergio Busquets on Sunday.

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Since Sunday, Spain’s entire Euro squad has been in isolation.

In a statement on its website, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said it was setting up a “parallel bubble” and had called in 11 players to join six backups who were already acting as cover for the coronavirus-hit first squad.

Spain are due to open their Euro campaign on Monday, playing Sweden in Group E in the southern city of Seville.

Sweden’s Euro 2020 squad has also been hit by infections, with two players, star forward Dejan Kulusevski and midfielder Mattias Svanberg, testing positive, its federation said Tuesday.

“The coaching staff of Spain’s national team have decided 11 internationals initially called up for the match against Lithuania will remain part of the senior national team,” it said.

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The 11 newcomers were part of an Under-21 team that thumped Lithuania 4-0 on Tuesday evening in Spain’s final warm-up match.

“This group of internationals will join their teammates… within a parallel bubble, created in anticipation of the possible consequences that could result from the positives of Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente.”

The players are Alvaro Fernandez, Oscar Mingueza, Marc Cucurella, Bryan Gil, Juan Miranda, Gonzalo Villar, Alejandro Pozo, Brahim Diaz, Martin Zubimendi, Yeremy Pino and Javi Puado.

They join six players already drafted in by coach Luis Enrique as insurance against any more positives among his squad: Rodrigo Moreno, Pablo Fornals, Carlos Soler, Brais Mendez, Raul Albiol and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The 17 reserves in their separate bubble will have no contact with the main Euro 2020 squad.

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Spain are also scheduled to play Poland and Slovakia in Group E, with all their group stage matches at the Cartuja stadium in Seville.

Deportes

Tropical storm Priscilla forms off Mexico, expected to strengthen into hurricane

Tropical Storm Priscilla, the sixteenth cyclone of the Pacific season, formed in recent hours off the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and could strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the coming days, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported on Saturday.

In a statement, the SMN said that as of 3:00 p.m. (El Salvador time), the storm’s center was located 460 kilometers (286 miles) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima. Priscilla currently packs maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h (47 mph), with gusts reaching 95 km/h (59 mph), and is moving northwest at 11 km/h (7 mph).

According to the projected track, Priscilla will move parallel to Mexico’s western coastline and could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane between Sunday night and early Monday.

In coordination with the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the SMN issued a tropical storm watch from Punta San Telmo (Michoacán) to Punta Mita (Nayarit).

The agency also warned that Priscilla’s extensive rain bands could produce heavy rainfall (75–150 mm) in Michoacánand Guerrero, and very heavy rainfall (50–75 mm) in Jalisco and Colima.

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Additionally, wind gusts of 70–80 km/h are expected along the coasts of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 40–50 km/h in Guerrero. Wave heights could reach 2.5 to 3.5 meters (8–11 feet) in Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán, and 1.5 to 2.5 meters (5–8 feet) in Guerrero.

“These rains could be accompanied by electrical activity and may cause flooding, landslides, and overflowing in low-lying areas,” the SMN warned. “Strong winds may also topple trees and billboards. Residents are urged to follow official updates, heed Civil Protection advisories, and take precautions due to strong winds and high surf.”

So far this year, sixteen named storms have formed in the eastern Pacific: Alvin, Bárbara, Cosme, Dalila, Erick, Flossie, Gil, Henriette, Ivo, Juliette, Kiko, Lorena, Mario, Narda, Octave, and Priscilla.

Mexico’s meteorological forecast predicts up to 20 named storms in the Pacific basin this season, of which four to sixcould become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

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Deportes

FBI hunts former athlete accused of leading cocaine trafficking network

A former Olympic snowboarder has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, accused of running a drug cartel that trafficked hundreds of kilos of Colombian cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada.

Ryan Wedding, 43, from Thunder Bay, Canada, was included on the list Thursday, replacing alleged child rapist and murderer Alexis Flores.

Authorities believe Wedding fled to Mexico and is now under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. The FBI accuses him of leading a transnational drug trafficking network, orchestrating regular shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Known by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Gigante,” and “Public Enemy,” Wedding is also accused of ordering multiple murders, including the 2023 killing of an innocent Canadian couple in a case of mistaken identity.