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Garay & Mangala among five Valencia staff members to contract coronavirus

La Liga club Valencia has released a statement confirming that five members of its first team sta...
Stephen Doyle
Stephen Doyle

19.24 15 Mar 2020


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Garay & Mangala among five...

Garay & Mangala among five Valencia staff members to contract coronavirus

Stephen Doyle
Stephen Doyle

19.24 15 Mar 2020


Share this article


La Liga club Valencia has released a statement confirming that five members of its first team staff have contracted coronavirus.

The statement came after the club's defender Ezequiel Garay announced in an Instagram post that he has contracted the illness.

The Argentina international is the first La Liga player confirmed to have contracted the virus.

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Later on Sunday, his team-mate and former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala also revealed that he had tested positive.

"Valencia CF inform that five positive cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been detected amongst first team staff and players," reads the statement released on the official club website.

"All of these persons are now at home, in good health and obeying self-isolation measures.

"Besides providing further information over the coming hours, the club reiterate our support for the health authorities and their social awareness campaigns, and emphasise to all of the population the importance of staying at home and continuing to follow the previously published hygiene and illness-prevention measures.

"Likewise, Valencia CF reiterate our confidence in the Spanish health system, and in the recommendations made by the Ministry of Health for cases of coronavirus infection such as these."

Garay had been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained in February.

His Instagram post reads: "It is clear that I started 2020 badly. I have tested positive for the coronavirus, I feel very well and now it only remains to pay attention to the health authorities, for the moment to be isolated."

Mangala's post on Twitter also urged everyone to follow the guidelines regarding social distancing.

"I knew today that I am coronavirus positive," states Mangala in his post.

"I'm feeling good and I have no symptoms associated with the virus. However, I am confined in house and separated from my family.

"I learned that we can carry the virus without having symptoms, that's why I recommend everyone to follow the confinement measures and avoid contact with other people, as much as possible, even if you feel well."

Before restrictions were placed on sports events in Italy, Valencia had travelled to Milan to face Atalanta at a packed San Siro stadium in the last-16 of the Champions League.

The week after that first-leg match in February, a radio journalist based in Valencia tested positive for coronavirus.

The second leg of the tie was played behind closed doors at the Mestalla, where the Serie A club sealed an 8-4 aggregate win.

Since then, and as has happened with most major sports around the world, all organised football in Spain has been halted for at least two weeks.

The country is the second most affected by the outbreak, after Italy, in Europe and has been in partial lockdown since Saturday after a 15-day state of emergency was declared by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.


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