Tottenham’s COVID-19 outbreak could hinder recent upturn

South Korean soccer player Son Heung-min has not spotted on a video showing the Tottenham Hotspur squad getting trained on Wednesday. A total of 16 players are seen on the footage to warm up. Reportedly getting infected with COVID-19, Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Ben Davies, Emerson Royal did not join the training session, according to the video release. Son’s absence at a training field only tells that he may be infected with the virus as reported by some British news media.

Six to seven first-team players and two coaching staffs of Tottenham tested positive for COVID-19, reported Sky Sports from Britain on Tuesday. The club’s head coach Antonio Conte said on Wednesday that eight athletes and five staffs were confirmed of COVID-19 while the Tottenham did not specify who is on the list of confirmed cases. Conte lamented that a growing number of players turn out to be infected with the virus, making everyone else terrified, pointing that players and staffs have their own family, any of which may be put at risk by any further confirmed case going forward. 　

Scheduled on Friday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the Group G’s last tournament clash with Stade Rennais of France of the UEFA Conference League was announced to be pushed backward according to Tottenham’s official statement released on Thursday. The UEFA stipulates that any match can be postponed if and when only fewer than 13 players are available or all goalkeepers are not able to join. Tottenham is still in discussion with the UEFA on scheduling, announcing that it was advised by the Public Health England to close down the club’s training center and first-team zones. Stade Rennais expressed its complaints about the opponent’s and the UEFA’s unilateral notice of suspension of the planned match, saying that it has no idea how many Tottenham athletes are not in a position to play.

Tottenham’s upcoming EPL matches are highly likely to be put off including one with Brighton on Sunday and another with Leicester City next Friday. Local news reports expect that the arrival of COVID-19 at Hotspur can put the brakes on its recent impressive upturn with three wins running, raising question whether the players affected can get back to normal.


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com