Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who was already out of this week’s Champions League meeting with Liverpool because of a calf injury, has tested positive for Covid-19, the club announced yesterday. “Our player Sergio Ramos tested positive in the last Covid-19 test he performed,” Real Madrid said in a statement.
Ramos is the second case of coronavirus detected in the Real Madrid squad in a week. French defender Raphael Varane tested positive last Tuesday. Varane has not yet been given the green light to rejoin his teammates. Ramos injured his left calf while with Spain during the international window but he has been a vocal presence on the sidelines since. The positive test means he has to stay away from his teammates until he tests negative.
The 35-year-old defender is going through one of the most difficult seasons of his career — he underwent knee surgery in February and, after returning in mid-March, missed the Liga game against Celta Vigo on March 20 because of a shin injury. Ramos has still not revealed his plans once his contract with Real Madrid expires on June 30.
Perez re-elected unopposed as Real Madrid president
Florentino Perez has been re-elected unopposed as president of Real Madrid for a sixth term, the Spanish champions announced yesterday. The 74-year-old was the only candidates to apply after nominations opened at the start of the month.
Perez, the head of major construction group ACS, had already been re-elected unopposed twice: in 2013 and 2017. He is approaching 18 years in charge of Real.
He was the man behind Madrid’s star-studded ‘Galacticos’ era in his first spell as club president between 2000-2006. His latest mandate runs until 2025. He called for new elections at a board meeting on April 1, and the club’s electoral committee met at one minute past midnight yesterday to allow any late runners to appear before the deadline.
Perez’s fourth consecutive term, and sixth in total, was confirmed quarter of an hour later. Critics say a reform in the club’s statutes from 2012 makes it harder to run for president. Since then, any candidate must have been a Real Madrid member for at least 20 years and be able to guarantee a part of the team’s budget with their personal assets. His personal wealth is estimated at $2.2bn dollars (1.85bn euros).
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos
