Five players have tested positive for coronavirus – La Liga confirms

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - VIllarreal v Atletico Madrid - Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal, Spain - December 6, 2019 General view of the match ball before the match [REUTERS/Albert Gea]

Five players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Spain’s top two football divisions.

LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank (second division) have been carrying out coronavirus tests over the last few days for players and vital staff.

According to news from Marca, all the five players are asymptomatic and have their identities concealed in compliance with the State’s Data Protection Laws.

"Specifically, between the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, five positive cases have been detected in players, all of them asymptomatic and in the final phase of the disease, whose specific identity La Liga does not know in compliance with the laws on data protection," a statement from  La Liga read.

Spanish football clubs have been allowed to conduct individual training sessions, with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia among those who have already commenced training.

On Monday, May 4, La Liga said announced to clubs training would resume, having Spain’s sports and health authorities, which reportedly guaranteed the safety of staff and players.

However, before players go back to training, they would have to undergo testing.

“These measures cover a period of approximately four weeks with different phases that, in any case, will be subject to the de-escalation process established by the government. Thus, together with the medical tests carried out by clubs, a staggered return to training has been implemented that will start with players training alone and with group activities prior to the return to competition, scheduled for June,” ,” said the statement.

LA LIGA LETTER: 

La Liga's statement [COURTESY]