Football: Spanish club Valencia confirm 2 virus cases

ISTANBUL

Spanish football club Valencia reported two positive coronavirus cases among personnel on Tuesday.

Players and staff were tested for COVID-19 a day earlier as the La Liga side started its preseason preparations.

The club did not disclose the identity of the two individuals and said they will be isolating at home.

“The PCR and blood serum tests carried out this Monday for the first team, coaching staff and direct collaborators have detected two positive cases of COVID-19,” read a club statement.

Valencia, who finished the 2019-20 season in ninth spot, were among the first clubs to be hit by virus cases in March.

The new infections will affect the club’s preparations for the 2020-21 season, scheduled to start on Sept. 12.

“From the first moment of this health crisis, Valencia CF have given special importance to measures to halt the expansion of the pandemic, and will maintain a strict protocol to which all members of the club are completely committed,” the club said.

Spain, one of the worst-hit countries in the COVID-19 pandemic, has nearly 323,000 cases and almost 28,600 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

The aggressive spread of the virus in Spain has continued over recent days, with over 8,600 new cases reported this past weekend.