ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Five Ethiopian footballers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Ethiopian Football Federation disclosed Monday.

The federation tested 36 of the 40 footballers called to set up camp in Addis Ababa to form the Ethiopian national squad, and in preparation for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Accordingly, of the 36 players tested, five were diagnosed with the virus.

The federation did not reveal the names and other information of those infected.

Within the next 72 hours, it said, all the newly named national football squad members, including the coaches and support staff, will undergo COVID-19 testing.

Ethiopia is the founding member of the Confederation of African Football.

The game is much loved in the East African country but many fans are not happy with the performance of their national team in regional, continental and international competitions. It has 146th position among 210 teams in FIFA ranking.