Spain issued an investigation for the new strain of Covid-19 after a lead foreign player of ISL tested positive. The player was asymptomatic and is now out of isolation. COVID Epidemiological surveillance network continues to monitor and test players who arrived from India.
“One of the football players who returned has a positive result in COVID with a specific variant that is of special interest in Spain right now”–Spanish Authority
Spanish authorities tested others players who returned home after playing ISL and all of them tested negative for Covid-19.
“Until the players were inside the bubble, there was no chance of them contracting the virus. The league had very strict protocols and we didn’t have a single positive case throughout six odd months the team was together in the bubble. We tested the player 3 times a week.”–club head
It is believed that the player might have contracted it during the holidays after the league was concluded or during the journey back home.
Spike of Spanish players in ISL
Since the launch of ISL in 2014, India has been a popular destination for Spanish players. During the first two seasons, French and Brazilian players were in abundance. But Spanish players have taken their spots now.
In the last edition of ISL, there were more than 20 Spanish players with Igor Angulo winning the Golden Boot FC Goa had five of their six foreign players from Spain.
However, it has been noticed that Indian clubs are increasingly opting for Spanish coaches to manage their teams. 7 of the 11 teams had Spaniards as their coaches at the start of the season.
Only twice have non-Spanish coaches won the league. Sergio Lobera, head coach of Mumbai city FC led the club to a rare ISL shield and ISL trophy double last season.
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