Brescia President Massimo Cellino reveals he tested negative for COVID-19 on a swab, but a blood test found he was positive. “I was only having the test to end the quarantine.”
The patron had been in Brescia, one of the epicentres of the pandemic in Italy, so remained in quarantine for two weeks, then had more standard tests in Cagliari when he flew out to his other residence and had a further two weeks of quarantine.
Brescia President Massimo Cellino reveals he tested negative for COVID-19 on a swab, but a blood test found he was positive. “I was only having the test to end the quarantine.”
The patron had been in Brescia, one of the epicentres of the pandemic in Italy, so remained in quarantine for two weeks, then had more standard tests in Cagliari when he flew out to his other residence and had a further two weeks of quarantine.
“The doctor made me smile even when telling me the news,” Cellino told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He said: ‘President, you are unusual even when dealing with this virus.’ That’s me.
“I was negative on the swab, while the blood test showed a good dose of antibodies, but the virus is still pretty lively.”
Usually, the antibodies appear when someone has recovered from the virus, but it seems to be lasting longer than most within Cellino. Fortunately, the symptoms are mild.
“I feel pain in my liver and my bones, but essentially I’m still walking around the house. I was only taking the test as a precaution to end the quarantine, instead I got this news.
“Unfortunately, this virus has already hit the club, because two of my collaborators ended up in hospital, but they are out now. I had been healthy then. In quarantine, but healthy.”
Cellino’s daughter has recovered, so she is living on one floor of the house with his son and wife, while the President is on the upper level in quarantine.
He had already been utterly adamant that Brescia would not play again this season, so realising he was positive for COVID-19 only made him more determined.
“I will have my say on Tuesday with the Lega Serie A videoconference meeting. They want to resume and divide up the TV rights money between themselves in silence, but that is not going to work for me. I maintain we stop the league, no matter what (FIGC President Gabriele) Gravina and (Lazio President Claudio) Lotito say.”
Cellino was President of Cagliari for 20 years and retains a residence here, so he donated several ventilators to the island’s hospitals back in March, before the lockdown.