Ten people tested positive for coronavirus in first round of Bundesliga testing

The DFL has confirmed in a statement that a total of ten people tested positive for coronavirus during the first wave of testing for all 36 Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga clubs.

It was revealed last week that three people from Bundesliga side FC Köln, thought to be two players and a physio, had tested positive for COVID-19 despite showing no signs or symptoms. The DFL has now revealed that seven more cases of infection were identified during the first phase of testing, bringing the total number of positive coronavirus cases to ten.

A total of 1724 coronavirus tests were carried out, as players, coaches and support staff of all 36 professional clubs in Germany were tested. The DFL’s statement also confirmed that all the affected people were immediately sent into quarantine by the respective clubs, in accordance with the requirements of the local authorities.

Fourteen Bundesliga had previously reported that the results of everyone tested came back negative, with only three clubs – Augsburg, RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach – not disclosing their results.

The DFL also announced that a second wave of tests has already started and will be carried out this week in order to reduce the likelihood of false negatives. If there are no more positive cases, teams could return to full training. The DFL say that the tests have served the purpose of protecting the players from infection during team training or matches.

A decision on whether the Bundesliga can resume later this month is set to be made later this week, with the German political leaders set to meet on Wednesday.