‘I am convinced Covid was created in a lab,’ says Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin who has recovered from the virus and insists he is not the ‘infector of Italian football.’
Perin was the first of 22 confirmed Covid-19 cases at Genoa.
“It was the week before Napoli-Genoa, on September 21. I went to Turin to see my wife and children, it was a Monday: contrary to what has been said, there is no evidence that I contracted the Coronavirus that day”, he told La Repubblica.
‘I am convinced Covid was created in a lab,’ says Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin who has recovered from the virus and insists he is not the ‘infector of Italian football.’
Perin was the first of 22 confirmed Covid-19 cases at Genoa.
“It was the week before Napoli-Genoa, on September 21. I went to Turin to see my wife and children, it was a Monday: contrary to what has been said, there is no evidence that I contracted the Coronavirus that day”, he told La Repubblica.
"I am not the infector of Italian football," he insisted.
“On Wednesday we had a swab test, as always. The result arrived on Thursday morning: everything was okay but in the evening I had a fever.
"This is a devious disease, you can be infected in a taxi, or by pressing the button of an elevator. In my family they are all negative.
“The truth is that in dozen hours the clinical picture changes, not even the specialists know much about Covid-19. And let me be clear in saying that the chaos of Juventus-Napoli did not start because of Genoa.
“It could have happened to anyone. Surely, if we had called ourselves Real Madrid, Inter or Juventus, we would have been respected more. Let it be clear that an illness is never a fault, but something that happens to human beings”.
“Ronaldo got sick, Trump got sick, it means that Covid 19 is deadly and must be taken more than seriously.
“Fear has guaranteed the survival of the human species. But no, there has never been panic and I have to thank the staff of Genoa, the managers, Doctor Piero Gatto who also got sick and followed us from home, in addition to Professor Matteo Bassetti of San Martino in Genoa who acted as a guardian angel.”
Italian football is discussing on a possible bubble like it happened in the NBA if the Covid situation in the country gets worse.
“We talk about it in the dressing room, none of us is so expert to know what is the best thing to do, but I think more sacrifices are indispensable. Playing every three days has consumed us inside.
“We are young, we are trained athletes and we come out well, but this is an ugly, devious beast. If I would say that it did not destabilize me a little, I would lie.
“I remain convinced that everything was born in the laboratory and not from animal transmission.”