Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had no cardiac problems, proclaims Patrice Neveu

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had no cardiac problems, proclaims Patrice Neveu

no photo

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

|

Getty

Gabon head coach Patrice Neveu has refuted the CAF’s statement and revealed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was affected by the residue left by the COVID-19 positive test. This comes after the CAF released a statement that revealed both Aubameyang and Lemina had heart issues because of COVID.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on duty for Gabon at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), reports indicated that the Arsenal forward had tested positive for COVID-19. He wasn’t the only one mentioned in the report as it revealed that Mario Lemina had also tested positive. However, while the duo sat out the game against Comoros, the CAF revealed that the duo couldn’t play against Ghana either because of heart problems following the positive test.

That was released via a statement although Gabon head coach Patrice Neveu has now cleared the air and confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had no cardiac problems. He revealed that both the forward and Lemina passed normal tests but they seemed affected by the residue left behind by the illness and thus the team opted not to field either man.

"In the readings, it's clear that Aubameyang has no cardiac problems. He [and Lemina] passed PCR tests and they were negative. They then did the second lot of exams, cardiac tests, and it seemed as though the pair of them had problems," Neveu told ESPN

"It appears as though the virus has left residue, it's possible that the illness has left an impact, and two hours before the match, the team doctor and the doctor of CAF were on a phonecall with me, and they told me not to play them."

"In order to protect my players, I took the decision to not play them. It's my responsibility, so we chose not to play them. We'll see what happens now, but that was my responsibility. When we got the news, Pierre-Emerick wanted to play, he left his room with his belongings, but the CAF doctor told me again, so his father had to intervene. I know it hurt him," he added.

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all