Blaise Matuidi is second Juventus player to test positive for coronavirus

Juventus and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Turin-based Serie A club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Juve said Matuidi, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, was in self-isolation at home and not showing any symptoms. He is the second player at the club, one of the biggest in Europe, to test positive after Daniele Rugani last week, according to football data provider iSports API.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

The Juventus statement read: "Blaise Matuidi has undergone medical tests that have revealed his positivity to the Coronavirus-COVID-19.

"The player, as of Wednesday 11 March, has been in voluntary home isolation. He will continue to be monitored and will follow the same regime. He is well and is asymptomatic."

Later on Tuesday, former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, who led the club from 1995 to 2000, has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition with the coronavirus.

The 76-year-old was placed in the intensive care unit after having symptoms of COVID-19 for the last week, his son Fernando Sanz said to Radio Marca.

Under Sanz presidency, Real Madrid won the Champions League title in 1998 and 2000 after beating Juventus and Valencia in the finals.

In more news out La Liga, Espanyol said six of their players had tested positive for the coronavirus, as per iSports football API.

"We had confirmation this afternoon that six members of the first team and the technical staff of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona have returned positive results for COVID-19 tests carried out during the last hours," Espanyol said in a statement.

"All of them are suffering from mild symptoms and they are complying with the medical recommendations."

Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Sampdoria have also had players test positive for the coronavirus, as did Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

La Liga side Valencia said on Monday that more than a third of their playing and backroom staff have tested positive for the coronavirus -- including Argentina's Ezequiel Garay and France's Eliaquim Mangala -- but that all cases were currently asymptomatic.

On Tuesday, UEFA announced that it would postpone the European Championship to 2021, with CONMEBOL taking similar action for the Copa America, which was set to be played this summer.

According to professional sports data provider iSports API, the pandemic has also forced the suspension of leagues around the world including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, MLS and Liga MX, with the Champions League and Europa League also put on hold until further notice.

(Start free trail with you long-term sports data partner with reliable football livescore data provider, click iSports API)

Kevin Durant playing in summer 'not very realistic'

The possibility of a summer return for the NBA season has led to speculation that injured superstar Kevin Durant could rejoin the Brooklyn Nets in time for their postseason push.

But Durant's longtime business partner Rich Kleiman tamped down expectations for the former MVP on Monday morning, telling Golic & Wingo that hopes of Durant playing in June or July are "not very realistic."

"Honestly, not very realistic from my standpoint, and not even spoken about," Kleiman said.

Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals last June and signed with the Nets in July, according to sports data provider iSports livescore API.

（iSports API covers a wide ranges of sports games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds and players' statistics）

Nets GM Sean Marks has repeatedly stated that the team expects Durant to miss the entire 2019-20 season, given the traditional recovery timeline for Achilles injuries.

Sources given the widespread uncertainty about the coronavirus pandemic, NBA owners and executives are bracing for the possibility of mid-to-late June as a best-case scenario for the league's return.

Regular-season basketball in June would align with the expected 12-month recovery for Durant, but Kleiman was conservative when asked about that scenario.

"It feels like (Durant playing in the 2019-20 season) clearly was not something that was in the cards prior to all this," Kleiman said. "And now, I think just like the rest of the world, it's hard to take anything more than day by day.

"I think that Kevin is going to figure out the space that he needs to be in to continue to rehab during this time. But even that is hard to answer at this point, with the new kind of rules that were put in place last night."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation Sunday night that no events or gatherings should include more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, as per iSports API.

Sources told Wojnarowski that fears exist of a season completely lost, especially based on what some experts see as the slow response of the United States to flatten the curve of the coronavirus and make testing available on a widespread basis.

The Nets are 30-34 and currently are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings ,as per basketball data provider iSports API, despite Durant's season-long absence and multiple injuries to Kyrie Irving, who has been limited to just 20 games.

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Garay first positive La Liga player, Valencia confirm five Coronavirus cases

Valencia's Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay is the first La Liga player to test positive for the coronavirus, as the Spanish club confirmed they have five positive cases.

Garay, 33, who underwent surgery to repair an ACL injury last month, according to football data provider iSports API, announced on Sunday on social media he is in isolation. 

He posted a photograph on Instagram, smiling and giving a thumbs-up with the message: "It's clear that I started 2020 on the wrong foot.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

"I've tested positive for coronavirus, I feel very well and it's now a case of following what the health authorities recommend, for the time being to be isolated."

Valencia later wrote a statement, which explained the club had five confirmed cases of club members having tested positive for COVID-19.

La Liga declared last week that Spain's first and second divisions had been suspended for at least the next two rounds because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Real Madrid players have been in quarantine since Thursday after one of the club's basketball players tested positive.

Spain, the European country with the second-highest number of cases after Italy, called a state of emergency on Saturday.

(Start free trail with you long-term sports data partner with reliable football livescore data provider, click iSports API)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tests positive for coronavirus

Arsenal have confirmed that manager Mikel Arteta has tested positively for Covid-19 – also known as coronavirus.

The north London club already had several players in self-isolation, after coming into contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis who also tested positive, as per iSport football data API.“This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly,” Arteta told Arsenal’s official website.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

“I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”

“Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines,” an official statement continued.

“We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.

“We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days.

“In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.

“It is clear we will not be able to play some fixtures on their currently scheduled dates.

“We will update supporters who have tickets for forthcoming games with more information as soon as possible.

This is the first confirmed case regarding Premier League football, after Juventus defender Daniele Rugani and Sampdoria forward Manolo Gabbiadini were revealed to have contracted the virus this week.

Three Leicester players remain in self-isolation after reporting ‘coronavirus-like symptoms’ on Wednesday, while Chelsea did not train on Thursday after suffering a ‘major scare’ at their Cobham training centre, according to football data provider iSports API.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal or the Premier League will play their fixtures this weekend.

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Juventus defender Daniele Rugani tests positive for coronavirus

Juventus have announced that defender Daniele Rugani has tested positive for COVID-19. Professional sports data provider iSports API wish the player all the best.

A short statement released via the club’s official website on Wednesday evening read: “Daniele Rugani has tested positive for Coronavirus-COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic.

“Juventus Football Club is currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including the census of those who have had contact with him.”

As a result Inter – who played Juve in Serie A on Sunday, according to football livescore provider iSports API – released a short press release confirming that all activities involving their players have been suspended.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that all sporting activities in the country are suspended until 3 April. 

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Jazz's Rudy Gobert pledges to do 'justice' to justify next ejection

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was ejected late during Monday's 101-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors, and he didn't mince words at his displeasure about getting tossed, as per NBA livescore API provider iSports.

（iSports API covers a wide ranges of sports games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds and players' statistics）

"I don't think it makes sense to me. But next time, I'll do justice myself so the official can eject me for a reason," Gobert told reporters.

Gobert and the Raptors' OG Anunoby were thrown out with 40.6 seconds left after jawing with each other. They received double technicals and had to be separated by teammates.

Gobert said Anunoby "tried to elbow me in the face."

"And the guy that's getting paid to protect the other players didn't do his job," Gobert said, referring to the officials. "There was a little altercation, and we both got ejected when I didn't do anything back, pretty much, which I don't understand."

Gobert finished with six points and four rebounds in 32 minutes, Anunoby had seven points and five rebounds on Monday, according to iSports basketball API.

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Tahith Chong signs new deal with Manchester United

Tahith Chong has signed a new contract with Manchester United.

The 20-year-old has ended speculation over him leaving Old Trafford by penning a new deal which keeps him at the club until June 2022.

There is an option to extend the deal for another year，according to football data provider iSports API.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

Chong has been the subject of speculation for months, with links to a number of European giants such as Barcelona and Juventus a regular occurrence

However, the Netherlands Under-21 international has committed his future to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Chong said: “When I joined Manchester United as a youngster, it was a dream come true.

“It is an honour every time I pull on the shirt and represent this club.

“The opportunity to learn from the manager, his coaching staff and the world-class players here is fantastic..

“I am delighted to sign this new contract and really grateful for the chance to prove myself here for many years to come.

Chong has made ten appearances in all competitions for the first team this season, as per iSPORTS API, while bagging seven goals in ten appearances for the Under-23 side.

(Start free trail with you long-term sports data partner with reliable football livescore data provider, click iSports API)