Trabzonspor kick off training on club’s premises

ANKARA

Turkish Super Lig leaders Trabzonspor began a limited workout at the football club's premises Monday in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trabzonspor said on its website that a group of first team players returned to the club’s facilities following a 45-day lockdown period.

The Black Sea club said that eight players in three groups have done aerobic running training as the players and coaches followed social distancing guidelines.

Several players including winger Yusuf Sari, midfielder Ahmet Canbaz and the team's Norwegian star Alexander Sorloth did not join Monday's training.

Sari and Canbaz are undergoing treatment for injuries, but Sorloth has been in quarantine at a dormitory since April 22 as he traveled to Norway amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 24-year-old's quarantine process is expected to end this week if everything goes well.

Trabzonspor added that the team will continue training on Tuesday with another small group.

Super Lig teams Aytemiz Alanyaspor, Kasimpasa, Yukatel Denizlispor and Goztepe also held training sessions Monday.

Sporting events across the country were suspended on March 19 to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

On Monday, the death toll in Turkey from the novel coronavirus rose to 3,461 as 64 died over the past 24 hours, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas.

More than 3.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 251,000 and more than 1.1 million recoveries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.