Germany-based defender Kasim
Nuhu became the fifth person from the Ghana team to test positive for
coronavirus following last week’s friendlies against Mali and Qatar while
striker Caleb Ekuban has been hospitalised over symptoms of the disease.
With the sudden rise in the number of confirmed
positive cases in the team, it is certain that players and officials of the
team that travelled for the two matches will now face the real prospect of
quarantining over the growing cases.
Several clubs in Europe who had their players play in
the two matches for Ghana during the international break are now racing to
contact the Ghana FA over the cases while also carrying out their independent
tests.
The Black Stars Coronavirus
cases reached five on Sunday after it became clear that Hoffenheim defender
Kasim Adams has joined the growing number of players in the Ghana team that had
contracted the virus.
Vitoria Guimaraes left-back Gideon Mensah,
Spain-based defender Joseph Aidoo and Besiktas midfielder Bernard Mensah as
well as Black Stars management committee member Jones Abu Alhassan were
confirmed to have contracted the virus during the training camp in Turkey.
Apart from the five players confirmed to have
contracted the virus, Ekuban has been hospitalised in Turkey after showing
strong symptoms of coronavirus with a very high temperature.
The 26-year-old was also the room-mate of Bernard
Mensah during the Black Stars one-week training camp in the Turkish city of
Antalya and the Besiktas midfielder has tested positive for the deadly disease.
However, the tests on Ekuban came out negative and doctors
are not leaving anything to chance and have asked him to quarantine himself at
home while he is monitored.
The latest revelation will raise
serious concerns for the Ghana football authorities who would be in the race to
discover the full extent of infections in the team when they played the matches
against Mali and Qatar.
Fears over the Black Stars were raised when four
players from the Mali side were confirmed to have contracted the virus and it
was feared it could be spread to the Ghana national team when they played their
West African rivals.
The full extent would be known this weekend when all
players would have returned to their club sides where they are likely to face
more stringent tests.
It will also give the Ghana FA the idea on how to
prepare and protect its players and officials during their upcoming matches in
the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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