Salzburg players out of national teams after 6 virus cases

Austria plays Luxembourg in a friendly on Wednesday and then Nations League games against Northern Ireland and Norway.

Salzburg (in black) said everyone at the club tested negative in samples taken Friday before the team played to a 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna. (File Photo)

Austrian football club Salzburg stopped its players from joining their national teams on Monday after six coronavirus cases were found in the squad.

The Austrian champion said it  received results Sunday showing six positive tests among players who were due to head to their national teams during the international break. Salzburg hasn’t named the players and said they are all in isolation and no one is showing symptoms.

Salzburg said everyone at the club tested negative in samples taken Friday before the team played to a 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna on Sunday. Another round of testing is planned for Monday.

The club said “all international call-ups ... have also been rejected for now” and that the situation could change once players have undergone more tests.

That could leave the Austrian national team needing replacements ahead of its upcoming games. Salzburg goalkeeper Cican Stankovic and defenders Andreas Ulmer and Albert Vallci were all named in the Austria squad last week.

Austria plays Luxembourg in a friendly on Wednesday and then Nations League games against Northern Ireland and Norway.

Mali will have to cope without Salzburg midfielder Mohamed Camara and forward Sekou Koita. Midfielder Masayo Okugawa was in line to make his debut for Japan in upcoming friendlies.