VALENCIA confirmed 35 per cent of their squad has tested positive for coronavirus with their total cases rising to nine.
The LaLiga side had five cases of COVID-19 within their first-team players and staff on Sunday as the coronavirus pandemic forced football across Europe to be suspended.
Valencia confirmed 35 per cent of their squad has tested positive for coronavirus with their total cases rising to nineCredit: Getty
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Ezequiel Garay was the first player in the Spanish league to confirm a positive test before his Valencia team-mate Eliaquim Mangala followed, and now Jose Gaya also announced his diagnosis on Sunday.
Gaye, 24, wrote online: “I have tested positive for the coronavirus. I am isolated in my house and totally asymptomatic.
“Therefore, I want to take advantage of this social network so that we do not collapse our healthcare.
“Now it’s the elderly people who need it the most, and it’s the serious cases that need to be taken care of by our health heroes.”
With four more COVID-19 cases confirmed by Valencia on Monday, it takes their total to nine.
The Spanish giants last played a week ago, losing to Italian side Atalanta in a 4-3 thriller as they were knocked out of the Champions League in front of an empty stadium.
But both Spain and Italy are the most hit areas in Europe with a combined 2,500 deaths between the two nations at the time of writing.
They, like France, are in lockdown and Valencia confirmed their players and staff are remaining in isolation as they urged members of the public to do the same.
In a statement, the club said: “Several further tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus amongst Valencia CF coaching staff and players have come back positive.
“All cases are asymptomatic and those involved are currently isolated at home, receiving medical assessment and carrying out their scheduled training plan.
“Despite the strict measures adopted by the club after their UEFA Champions League game against Atalanta on February 19th in Milan – an area confirmed as ‘high risk’ by the Italian authorities days afterwards – which included maintaining a distance between the squad and club employees/the general public, these latest results show that the exposure inherent to such matches has caused a positive test rate of around 35 per cent.
“Valencia CF would like to take this opportunity to insist that the population stay in their homes and strictly follow previously published hygiene and infection prevention measures.
“We also wish to express our confidence in our healthcare system and the recommendations by the Ministry of Health for those cases of coronavirus infection being treated with isolation.”
Valencia last played a week ago, losing to Italian side Atalanta in a 4-3 thriller in an empty stadiumCredit: Getty
Ezeguiel Garay, right, was the first to test positive for COVID-19 with Jose Gaya followingCredit: Getty
Ex-Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala also tested positive for coronavirusCredit: Getty
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
