- Premier League game at Brighton on Saturday is called off
- Arsenal training centres shut after head coach’s diagnosis
Arsenal have gone into lockdown after Mikel Arteta was diagnosed with coronavirus late on Thursday night, closing their London Colney and Hale End training centres and entering into emergency discussions with the football authorities about the fulfilment of their forthcoming fixtures. Saturday’s match at Brighton has been postponed and it appears certain that, as a bare minimum, their FA Cup quarter-final at Sheffield United the following weekend will follow.”
Arteta had been tested after feeling ill and the result came up positive at around 9pm on Thursday, leading the club to take instant action. The entire first-team squad and coaching staff will now self-isolate for 14 days from the moment they last had close contact with Arteta, effectively meaning they will not be able to train until the final few days of March. Other personnel who have spent time around the head coach will be required to follow suit and the Guardian understands the number who have to self-isolate may reach as high as 100.
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