Soccer News: Arsenal To Self-Isolate As Head Coach Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Arsenal Football Club’s players and personnel are ordered to self-isolate after head coach Mikel Arteta tested positive for the Coronavirus on Thursday.

“All club personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution," the English football club said in a statement.

The team’s training center in London Colney was closed immediately following the confirmation of the report. It was also mentioned that the self-isolation is in compliance with the health guidelines set in the jurisdiction where they reside.

“Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution,” a report from the club’s official website wrote. “We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centers will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.”

The Premier League, meanwhile, is planning to hold an emergency club meeting on Friday to tackle the matter.

A visibly upset Arteta came out from his test, saying, “This is really disappointing, but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”

Managing director Vinai Venkatesham then clarified that the team, including Arteta, remains optimistic while they are in the process of managing the forlorn turn of events.

“The health of our people and the wider public is our priority and that is where our focus is. Our thoughts are with Mikel who is disappointed but in good spirits. We are in active dialogue with all the relevant people to manage this situation appropriately, and we look forward to getting back to training and playing as soon as medical advice allows,” he said.