Four Sevilla players to be punished for flouting Spain’s lockdown rules

Four Sevilla players, Ocampos, Luuk de Jong, Franco Vasquez and Ever Banega, who flouted Spain’s lockdown rules by partying with friends over the weekend, are said to be punished by the club.

Spain’s rules say that no more than 10 people can meet at any single time and all players were ordered to keep to lockdown rules and avoid as much public contact as possible ahead of the league’s return in June.

Ever Banega’s wife on Saturday afternoon shared a picture of her husband alongside team mates Ocampos, Luuk de Jong, Franco Vasquez, their friends and family as they held the house party.

She soon deleted the post on Instagram but the club and other social media users had already taken notice of it.

In reaction, La Liga chief Javier Tebas said on Sunday;

“Players are an example to society and should be careful with their actions,” Tebas told television network Movistar.

“I call on all footballers to not act like this. We have to be very careful because a lot of people’s jobs are at stake.

“Safety is guaranteed at training grounds and matches but I’m worried about other places and parties like this. We should all be very cautious,” he added.

The players all issued statements to apologise for their behaviour, which Sevilla published on the club’s official Twitter account.

Top Spanish paper Marca reports that the players will face strong sanctions for their breaching of the rules in Spain.

All organised soccer in Spain was provisionally suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic although on Saturday the Spanish government gave the green light for the league to return in June.