Before even hitting the field for its 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal matchup against France, the Germany squad was dealt a heavy blow.
Coach Joachim Low confirmed Thursday that seven of his players have come down with an illness ahead of their big game on Friday, but he did not name which specific players were sick.
“Seven players are slightly ill with flu symptoms,” Low said, via The Guardian. “It is not that bad at the moment, and it could be partly about air conditioning, the travel, temperature differences. I do not want to make a drama of it. We hope the situation will ease.”
Defender Mats Hummels was forced to miss Germany’s Round of 16 win over Algeria due to illness, and although he has since tweeted that he is almost fully recovered, it appears whatever bug he had has spread to his teammates.
Low attempted to lessen the severity of the situation, though, telling Germany’s ARD radio that most players were dealing with “throat aches,” per Yahoo! Sports.
The winner of France-Germany will earn a spot in the semifinals against either Colombia or Brazil.
Photo via Witters Sport/USA TODAY Sports Images
