(Reuters) – Barcelona have expressed concerns about the fitness of their Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo at the World Cup but they are not planning to send a report about the case to FIFA.
The 23-year-old Araujo, a key player in his national team’s defence, sustained a thigh injury during Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat by Iran in a friendly in September.
Spanish media reported that Barcelona were prepared to outline their case to FIFA and a club source said two physiotherapists had travelled to Qatar with Araujo to work with Uruguay’s medical staff.
“We keep in communication but we are worry about Araujo’s recovery being accelerated… Still we are waiting for the opinion of our physiotherapists to be taken into account,” the source said.
Uruguay coach Diego Alonso talked about the possibility of Araujo playing in their opening World Cup Group H game against South Korea on Thursday.
“He’s playing well everyday. His body will tell us when he’s fit,” Alonso told reporters on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)
