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Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo will miss his team's Champions League group stage clash against Barcelona, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Ronaldo failed to test negative for Covid-19 24 hours before the game.
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The Portuguese superstar first tested positive for the virus on October 13, when he was on international duty for the UEFA Nations League.
The player then boarded an Air Ambulance and flew to Turin, where he has isolated at home ever since. In that time, he was tested again but failed to test negative for the virus.
However, his actions didn't sit well with Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora, who has reportedly launched an investigation into the forward on the grounds of breaching the country's Covid-19 protocols.
Spadafora said:
"Without authorisation from the health authorities [to fly back to Italy], I think he has violated the protocol."
"Cristiano did not respect the protocol. There is an investigation by the Federal Prosecutor's Office to prove it. No, with all respect [I did not broach the matter with him]. It was an unpleasant episode, but on the occasion of the first leg he violated the protocol and this is a fact, because there is also an investigation opened by the prosecutor of Torino."
Ronaldo, however, defended himself against the accusations, claiming that he only flew into the country after obtaining authorization to do so.
“I did not break any protocol. They’re saying that I broke Italian laws but it’s all a lie. I spoke with my team and we have the responsibility to do things right.
“Everything was done with authorisation. Principally for the Italian man whose name I’m not going to say, it’s a lie, I abided by all the protocols," he said.
Juventus struggle in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo will be a big miss for Juventus when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League.
The Serie A champions currently find themselves sitting fifth in the league with 9 points from 5 games, 4 points behind resurgent leaders AC Milan.
Barring the 3-0 win over Napoli they were awarded by Serie A, Juventus have drawn three consecutive league matches - two of them in Ronaldo's absence.
They will be looking for Alvaro Morata to fire against Barcelona and help them edge closer to progression in the tournament.
