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Leicester City have said a COVID-19 breach among their players is “extremely disappointing,” after reports that three of the squad attended a party.
The Telegraph says that James Maddison, Ayoze Perez and Hamza Choudhury were left out of the squad for their game against West Ham after Perez hosted a party following the defeat to Manchester City.
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“The club has made its expectations around adherence to COVID-19 protocols abundantly clear to all its personnel,” a Leicester spokesperson told the Telegraph.
“It is extremely disappointing, therefore, to learn of a breach that had the potential to undermine the efforts of club staff to protect the environments in which our teams train and play. Appropriate measures have been taken to prevent our team bubbles being compromised.
“We wholly expect our people to behave in a way that reflects the national effort and the sacrifices made by our communities to control the spread of the virus. Those involved have apologised for their poor judgement. Our response to the matter will be concluded internally.”
Leicester went on to lose 3-2 against David Moyes’ men thanks to a Jesse Lingard brace.
“They [the players who breached COVID-19 guidelines] are all good guys but we have a standard on and off the pitch that we have to adhere to,” Brendan Rodgers said after the game.
When asked if there was a temptation to let the players still compete due to the game’s importance — Leicester are one of several teams battling for a Champions League spot — Rodgers said it didn’t cross his mind.
“You can do if you’re soft. To be a winner you have to act like a winner,” he added.