Joshua Kimmich tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Dortmund and Barcelona (Updated)

Can we swear in SB Nation articles? I don’t know, and my editor doesn’t either. But if there was ever a moment to swear on BFW, this would be it. Joshua Kimmich has apparently just tested positive for COVID-19. The Bayern Munich star, who is unvaccinated, will now miss the next three games in the calendar, including big clashes against Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.

Now the news isn’t official yet, but Bild have the entire scoop (and they’ve been on top of this story like vultures to a carcass). Because Kimmich is unvaccinated, he will have to stay in quarantine for the next 14 days at a minimum (thereby missing the Bielefeld and BVB games) and would need to produce a negative PCR test afterwards to be allowed to play again.

This comes just hours after Germany coach Hansi Flick confirmed that Kimmich has decided to finally get vaccinated:

Talk about timing, huh?

Aside from the long quarantine, Kimmich will probably miss the final Champions League group stage game against Barcelona due to probable lack of match fitness, even if he manages to test negative by then. Kimmich has now been in quarantine or self-isolation for over three weeks now, and has at least two more to go — probably the longest period of games the 26-year-old has ever had to miss. Per Bayern’s recently announced measures, he may not get paid during his quarantine either, which will be a significant financial hit for him to take.

It’s easy to talk about actions and consequences, but this is not going to make anything easier for Julian Nagelsmann or Bayern Munich. So many big games coming up without a star midfielder will be rough. At the very least, Kimmich was already in quarantine when he tested positive, so no one else will need to self-isolate because of him. That’s why these regulations exist.

Update

Bayern Munich have finally confirmed the news with an official announcement. They say that Kimmich is doing well, which is good to hear. Let’s hope his symptoms are mild and don’t leave any long term effects.

By the way, we happen to have a podcast on all things Bayern Munich, and on the latest episode we discussed the vaccination issue including the fact that players will be docked pay for being in quarantine. Why not give it a try?