Daniele Rugani: Juventus player tests positive for coronavirus

Juventus have confirmed the Italian international has tested positive for Covid-19

Juventus have announced that 25-year-old defender Daniele Rugani has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Italy international is the first player from the club to test positive for the virus.

“The footballer Daniele Rugani has tested positive for Coronavirus-COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic,” the Italian club said in a short statement published on Wednesday night.

“Juventus Football Club is currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including those who have had contact with him.”

Juventus, who are based in the city of Turin in the northwest region of Piedmont, were earlier this month forced to cancel youth team training sessions after three opposition players tested positive for the virus.

All Italian sport has been suspended until 3 April because of the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.

Juventus’ next scheduled game is on 17 March against Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League and the match could still take place, albeit behind closed doors.

“Juventus have confirmed to us that we will play on Tuesday night behind closed doors in Turin,” Lyon’s president, Jean-Michel Aulas, told French newspaper L’Équipe on Tuesday.

“This has been confirmed by Uefa. The Italian Prime Minister had said that no matches could be played, but then said that this pertained to matches at a national level and not at an international level.”

Nearly 200 people in Italy have died in 24 hours as cases of coronavirus in the country continue to rise.

There have been 827 deaths in Italy and the number of cases jumped by more than 2,000 – from 10,149 to 12,462 – official figures showed on Wednesday evening.