Uruguay calm Barça: "Araujo's health is above all else"

Ronald Araujo, in the process of recovery and eager to play a World Cup match in Qatar with Uruguay, has generated a conflict between his federation and Barcelona. The 'Cules' want him, as an international, to be looked after and that is why they sent a couple of their specialists to follow his progress. Gaston Tealdi, vice-president of the Uruguay organisation, told 'SER Catalunya' how everything is developing.

"We have been in communication with Barcelona for a long time; from the first moment, we said that the player's health would be taken care of. There is sporting interest from Uruguay, which has a very solid group. Contacts were made with Barcelona, procedures were established, such as the authorisation for two professionals from the club to observe the recovery process, which has been faster than expected," he said.

"When we were preparing for the World Cup in Abu Dhabi, we detected certain differences in the criteria. Now, he is in the orbit of the national team and, therefore, the last word belongs to Uruguay. But any decision must be taken by mutual agreement, we have to respect Barcelona and protect the player, who, in the end, is the one who must indicate whether or not he is well enough to play because there is a sporting career ahead of him," he added.

"The player's health is above all else. As soon as he is fit, the steps to be taken will be agreed. It will be evaluated day by day. He may be far from a full recovery, he needs medical recovery and a run-in. We are all anxious to know if he will be available for the second or third game, but we have been told by the experts that this cannot yet be foreseen," he further said. He also mentioned that, in the event of a severe conflict, an independent expert will decide on Araujo, as agreed with Barcelona when the player travelled to Qatar.