PSG’s Neymar, Di Maria and Paredes test positive for COVID-19

Brazilian star Neymar is among three Paris St Germain players who have tested positive for COVID-19 after tests were carried out on Wednesday afternoon, according to French sports daily L’Equipe. The other two players are Argentine duo Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes, it said.

 The positive tests come eight days before PSG travel to Lens for their first Ligue 1 match of the 2020-21 season. Neymar, Di Maria and Paredes spent their holidays together in Ibiza, Spain, after the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on August 23.

The French champions said that three of their players have tested positive but did not reveal their names.

“Three Paris Saint-Germain players have confirmed positive Sars CoV2 tests and are subject to the appropriate health protocol,” said PSG in their statement. “All of the players and coaching staff will continue to undergo tests in the coming days.”

 French football’s governing body has ruled that a team must cancel its training sessions if four or more positive cases are found, with the possibility that its matches could also be postponed.

 The new season of the French Ligue 1 started on August 21. PSG are the only side to have not played a match yet as they were allowed the extra break due to their Champions League matches. The news is a setback to the French champions’ preparations for the scheduled start of their Ligue 1 campaign next week, with a game away at Lens set for September 10 but possibly now at risk of being postponed.

The cases raise questions about why the French league decided to postpone PSG’s match in Lens, only for so many of their players to travel abroad on holiday during a pandemic.