‘It was worth it,’ says Israeli boy who got virus after El Clásico soccer match

9-year-old Sa’ar Kahane has few regrets about contracting coronavirus following trip to Spain for Real Madrid-Barcelona game

By ToI Staff 11 March 2020, 11:27 pm

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Real Madrid's midfielder Casemiro (L) challenges Barcelona's forward Lionel Messi during the Spanish League soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 1, 2020. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP)

An Israeli boy was diagnosed with the coronavirus after attending a soccer match in Madrid, Spain, but to ask him, he has few regrets about the flying to the COVID-19 hotspot for the game.

Sa’ar Kahane, 9, was one of a dozen Israelis confirmed Wednesday as a carrier of COVID-19. Many of the 82 confirmed cases in Israel thus far had visited Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, in late February and early March.

“I was infected with the coronavirus when I went to El Clásico in Madrid, but it was worth it,” Kahane told the Ynet news site.

He was referring to the soccer match between storied rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two Spanish teams played in Madrid on March 1, with Real Madrid defeating Barcelona 2-0.

Sa’ar Kahane (Screen capture: Channel 12 news)

“I was little stressed, but my mom and dad told me that it’s like the flu and there’s nothing to be scared [of], and I calmed down” Kahane said.

Kahane, from the central town of Azor, returned with his father from Spain last week and went to school for two days before he was diagnosed with the virus. All students at the Yoseftal Elementary School where he studies were told Wednesday to enter quarantine as a precaution.

Authorities are waiting for the results from tests on Kahane’s parents and siblings. Kahane, who is being treated at home, could be moved to a hospital if any of his family is confirmed to have the virus, according to Ynet.

Kahane, who began feeling sick over the weekend, said he was disappointed he was unable to wear his Lego Man costume for Purim festivities at school.

“I was a little sad, but this passed quickly. My friends are calling all the time and brought me a lot of Purim baskets. My teacher called and this is fun and encouraging,” he said.

Including Kahane, there have been 82 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Israel. Like him, many of those diagnosed recently returned from countries with significant outbreaks of the virus.

Worldwide, there have been over 118,000 cases of the virus and nearly 3,400 deaths. In Spain, where Kahane returned from, there have been over 2,000 cases of the virus and 48 deaths.

The people most at risk from the coronavirus are the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, with younger people generally less likely to experience health complications.

A tourist wearing a protective mask takes a selfie outside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on March 11, 2020. (Lluis Gene/AFP)

However, as they are less likely to experience complications from the virus, young people could pose a greater risk to others if they visit public areas without knowing they have the coronavirus.

Kahane is not alone in seeing the virus as “fun.” Many young people in the United States are taking advantage of the drop in air travel due to the virus to snap up cheap tickets and take dream vacations.