7 players, assistant coach test COVID +ve for ahead of ISL

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MUMBAI: Seven players and an assistant coach have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) football season, likely to start next month in Goa, reports  PTI.

The tests were conducted in Goa after the arrival of the teams and all of them are asymptomatic cases.

Out of the 11 teams taking part this season, only newbies SC East Bengal are yet to arrive in Goa.

“Yes, seven players and an assistant coach have tested positive for COVID-19 and all of them are asymptomatic cases. They have been placed in isolation in their respective bio-secure bubbles,” a source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

All the teams have been put up in separate hotels in Goa, which serve as bio-secure bubbles.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, this season’s ISL, to be played among 11 teams, will be held behind closed doors under strict health safety protocols.

The matches will be held entirely in Goa at three venues -- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, GMC Athletic Stadium, Bambolim, and Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco.

After their arrival, the players have been put under quarantine for 10 days during which five tests have been conducted. It was also mandatory for all the teams to undergo three tests prior to their arrival in Goa.