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A third Brighton and Hove Albion player tested positive for coronavirus, the club’s chief executive said.
Paul Barber confirmed that the unidentified player had been sent home and was instructed to isolate himself for 14 days. The news comes a day before the clubs meet to discuss proposals for a possible restart of the Premier League.
“Unfortunately we had a positive test yesterday for a third player,” Barber told Sky Sports News. “Despite all the steps we’ve all been taking in the past few weeks, when players didn’t participate in any meaningful training, we still suffer from another player testing positive for the virus.”
On the possible resumption of the season, he said: “There are concerns and I think it is normal for all clubs to have those concerns. We want to make sure we do everything we can [so] the protocols that are implemented are safe and mitigate the risk. “
Two Brighton players tested positive for Covid-19 earlier during the pandemic, although both recovered. The club reopened its training facilities in late April, but only for solo activities with most players continuing to train at home.
Las Gaviotas, which ranked 15th in the league when soccer was suspended, have been one of the clubs most willing to speak openly about their concerns about the coronavirus and its impact on the game.
The club has been accused of acting in its own interest, a charge that Barber did not deny. “At this stage of the season there is self-interest at all levels of the table,” he said. “There is as much self-interest at the top as there is at the bottom, there is as much self-interest in the middle as there is at the bottom. We all have different goals for the season and we are all looking to play the season if it is safe to do so.
“We really want to play and we want to make sure that the competition is kept as fair as possible despite these exceptional circumstances that we face.”
