Atletico boss Diego Simeone tests positive for COVID

The Argentine wasn't showing any symptoms and was in isolation, the club said on Saturday.

Madrid: Atletico Madrid on Saturday (local time) announced that their boss Diego Simeone has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Argentine wasn't showing any symptoms and was in isolation, the club said on Saturday.

"The first team, coaching staff and auxiliary personnel underwent tests on Friday as soon as they returned from training in Los Angeles de San Rafael after a positive test was returned by a member of the travelling party in the previous tests carried out on Thursday," The club was quoted as saying by a sports website.

Diego Simeone

"The analysis of these new samples in the laboratory has determined that our coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, has given a positive result for Covid-19. Fortunately, he does not present any symptoms and is isolating at his home and fulfilling the quarantine after taking training with the team since last Monday," it added.

Simeone and the rest of the team were tested on Friday. The club did not say if anyone else was infected.

The Spanish league stopped play from March until June because of the pandemic. The top-flight managed to finish the season in July without any major infections.

Diego Simeone

But as the virus has started to spread again in Spain, teams have reported infections in recent weeks. None have appeared to cause serious health problems for players or staff.

Atletico is scheduled to play a friendly at Cadiz on Tuesday. Like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla, Atletico has its first two rounds of the Spanish league postponed to give the teams more rest after the competed in Europe in August. It plays its first Spanish league match on September 27 against Granada.