No Super Eagles player tested positive for COVID-19 in Austria camp – Ibitoye

Super Eagles management have dismissed reports in some quarters that some of the players in the team’s Austria camp have tested positive for COVID-19.

Some sections of the media had reported on Thursday that four players of the Super Eagles tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 and had to undergo another round of testing.

But Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Toyin Ibitoye, expressed dismay over such reports, noting that results of the tests carried out on the players on Thursday were being awaited as at the time of this report.

He wondered how the players can test positive for the virus without result of their tests.

Ibitoye said that such reports could negatively affect the players ahead of the team’s international friendly against Algeria on Friday.

“Please discountenance reports that some of our players tested positive to COVID-19 ahead of tomorrow’s friendly game against Algeria. It is blatant falsehood.

“The writer of the story, who was not part of the press conference earlier today totally misrepresented what Coach Rohr said.

“Rohr said that since the outbreak of the pandemic, four of our players had tested positive, but were all now fully recovered from the virus and back in action.

“The results of the COVID-19 tests carried out on the Super Eagles ahead of tomorrow’s game are still being awaited,” he added.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Nigeria-Algeria match have changed the venue of the encounter.

The match was earlier scheduled to take place at the Jacques Lemmans Arena in Austrian state of Carinthia, which contains only 2,420 spectators, but has now been moved to Worthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, with 30,000 seating capacity.

No reason was given for the change in match venue.

Our correspondent reports that the Super Eagles trained only ones on Thursday ahead of the clash against the Desert Foxes of Algeria scheduled to kick-off by 7:30 p.m. Nigerian time on Friday.

The team is expected to lock horns with their Tunisian counterparts on Oct. 13.