Coronavirus: Five Valencia players, staff test positive

Five Valencia players and staff are “in good health” after testing positive for coronavirus, the club says.

Valencia and Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay became the first La Liga player to announce a positive test earlier on Sunday.

Spain’s La Liga was suspended on Thursday after the Real Madrid squad went into quarantine.

Spain is the second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy and is set to declare a national lockdown on Monday.

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“It is clear I have started 2020 with bad luck,” Garay, 33, wrote on Instagram.

“I am very well and must obey health authorities and stay isolated.

A Valencia statement said the affected players and staff were “in their homes in good health and under isolation measures”.

“We are confident that with solidarity, responsibility and good spirits we will beat this pandemic,” the club added.

In the case involving Real Madrid, a member of their basketball team – who used the same training facilities as the football team – tested positive, leading to the side’s quarantine.

Several players in Italy’s Serie A have tested positive for the virus, including on-loan Wolves forward Patrick Cutrone.