Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Golder’s News And Sport

Brighton women’s football player Lea Le Garrec has slammed the club’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and says the UK is “wasting time” with the pandemic as “they are not in war mode”.

The 26-year-old French international midfielder, who resumed training on Wednesday morning with Brighton & Hove Albion, reportedly feels sad that the pandemic is not taken seriously enough in England.

According to French sports magazine L’Equipe, French international midfielder Le Garrec and her teammates were summoned on Wednesday morning for a session, after four days of rest.

Reportedly arriving at 8am, they had breakfast together without even seeing the club doctor, who was not present.

Le Garrec, who has been living in the south-east of England for seven months, told L’Equipe: “During the pre-training meeting, I said that I did not understand why they did not even take our temperature.

“It was possible that in the room where we were, three or four people were carrying the virus. The physio replied: ‘if you have no symptoms, it’s because you’re fine, there is no point.'”

Le Garrec and her teammates therefore attended the scheduled session. However, on Friday, after the announcement of the suspension of competitions across the Channel and a final training session, the foreign players of Brighton – whose FA Cup match against Birmingham has been postponed – reportedly expected to return to their home countries.

They are said to have quickly become disillusioned.

Le Garrec said: “The coach (Hope Powell) gathered us to tell us that the big boss had asked that we do not leave.”

She described the day as a” trying” one for the foreigners at the club, saying they were “forbidden to return home.”

Some players were reportedly in tears, wanting to join their loved ones.

Le Garrec said: “When you are not with your loved ones, in your country, four days is a long time.”

Le Garrec, who is following the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic in France and the measures being taken there, would like the British government to realise the gravity of the situation, according to L’Equipe.

She said: “What scares me is that here they are not in war mode.”

She added: “Just like us in France, when we took this virus lightly. They are wasting time.”

Speaking of Brighton’s decision to keep the players training, she said: “I can’t understand. Everton sent away their players, including (the French international) Maeva Clemaron who wrote to me Monday afternoon to tell me that she was going home. With Pauline (Peyraud-Magnin, goalkeeper for the French national team, who plays at Arsenal), we send each other messages because we can’t see each other, she is in quarantine.”

Le Garrec is now waiting to know what will be decided concerning the competitions, which were initially suspended until 3rd April.

She said: “If it is definitively cancelled, I will go home.”

She added: “I had a headache yesterday, probably because I was thinking all day about what I was going to do.”

This morning (today), the players are reportedly set to train again.

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