Bernardeschi is latest to contract COVID-19 after Italy duty

Posted April 06, 2021 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Italy's Federico Bernardeschi, left, challenges for the ball with Lithuania's Egidijus Vaitkunas during the World Cup 2022 Group C qualifying soccer match between Lithuania and Italy at LFF stadium in Vilnius, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) The Associated Press

TURIN, Italy (AP) - Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi is the latest player to test positive for the coronavirus after returning from Italy duty.

The club announced the news on Tuesday, adding that the player was asymptomatic and already in isolation.

Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci tested positive for the coronavirus last week after returning from international duty with Italy, shortly after four members of the Azzurri staff contracted COVID-19.

Italy players Alessandro Florenzi, Marco Verratti, Salvatore Sirigu, Vincenzo Grifo and Alessio Cragno have all since tested positive.

Bernardeschi is the third Juventus player out with the virus following the World Cup qualifiers. Bianconeri defender Merih Demiral tested positive when he was with the Turkish national team.

Juventus hosts Napoli on Wednesday in a match that was meant to be played in October. The game caused much debate when the southern club did not travel to Turin after two of its players tested positive for the virus.

Napoli was handed a 3-0 loss by the Italian league and docked one point but eventually had that overturned on appeal by the Italian Olympic Committee.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Italy's Federico Bernardeschi, center, challenges for the ball with Lithuania's Egidijus Vaitkunas, left, and Lithuania's Gratas Sirgedas during the World Cup 2022 Group C qualifying soccer match between Lithuania and Italy at LFF stadium in Vilnius, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2020 file photo, Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci celebrates scoring a goal during an Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Sampdoria at the Allianz stadium in Turin, Italy. Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday after returning from international duty. Juventus said Bonucci undertook the test on Thursday morning and is already in isolation at his home in Turin. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.