Members of Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha FC are nervously waiting for their Covid test reports after one of the players tested positive. The Bhubaneswar-based outfit is scheduled to play against Kerala Blasters at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Wednesday.
After showing symptoms such as cough and cold, the player was immediately isolated on Monday. Later, through an RTPCR test, the suspicion was confirmed and the first positive case was reported inside the club’s bio-secure bubble.
Meanwhile, clubs such as ATK Mohun Bagan and FC Goa have already had COVID-19 positive cases inside their bubble.
In the case of ATK Mohun Bagan, the whole team was sent for four days of quarantine, while FC Goa was barred to train for four days. Odisha’s previous match against ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday was postponed after a player from Mohun Bagan tested positive.
According to ISL CEO Martin Bain, if 15 players are not available for a match, the league will try to reschedule it to a later date. If the rescheduling is not possible, a win with a 3-0 margin will be awarded to the other team. Finally, if both the teams have players unavailable, it will be considered a goalless draw.
Taking precautionary measures, the league has mandated testing every 12 hours and wearing N95 masks. New players and support staff who are joining teams are now quarantined at the league hotel, for better monitoring, rather than the team hotel. The league has also placed restrictions on the number of club officials allowed to attend the matches.