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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ON Tuesday, Fifa announced that the president of global soccer’s governing body, Gianni Infantino had tested positive for Covid-19.

Fifa reported that Infantino, who is 50 years old, had mild symptoms and immediately went into self-isolation and will quarantine for at least 10 days.

On Tuesday, Chronicle Sport also reported that two more Bulawayo City FC employees, an assistant coach and a member of the secretariat had tested positive to Covid-19, taking the number of coronavirus cases at the local authority banked club to five.

Three City players had tested positive a fortnight ago, and went to Elangeni isolation centre in Bulawayo, where they spent 12 days before being discharged.

Three footballers, a goalkeeper and two Under-20 stars had tested positive when the owners of the club, Bulawayo City Council, ordered that players and staff that were to partake in a fitness expo and the trending Jerusalem Dance Challenge test for Covid-19 before their inhouse exercise a fortnight ago.

After the first tests where 15 players, technical team and secretariat were examined, the club sent its secretariat staff into isolation following positive results.

It is not clear when the city’s health department conducted the second round of tests which found an assistant coach and a member of the secretariat positive.

With local football set to return through a proposed two-week mini-league tournament that will see players getting into a bubble for the duration of the games, City’s Covid-19 positive cases present a glimpse of what most clubs should expect when the league does its tests.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) sent a memo to all league sides indicating that each club will have 50 individuals tested.

This will translate to 900 people getting tested, for the initial phase, at a cost of almost US$60 000.

Before clubs start training, they’ll do “sanctioned tests” and the cases of City players are a hint of what to expect.

Since the beginning of lockdown in March, footballers have been idle, with some engaging in menial jobs to make ends meet. Others have been playing “money games” to keep fit.

A fact that can’t be denied is that just like most citizens, footballers have been exposed to Covid-19 in public transport, their places of hustle where some sell wares as well as in games that they have been playing.

Others might have been close contacts to positive individuals who are asymptomatic.

What is undeniable is that in as much as the Government and clubs have been calling for people to stay at home, they haven’t been able to keep track of players during the lockdown.

However, as the clubs prepare for testing of players, what is key is to organize pre-test counselling sessions to help players cope if they are found positive.

Some might not be psychologically prepared to accept the positive status.

The good thing that might give local footballers hope is that celebrated players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Sadio Mane and Kudakwashe Mahachi beat the virus and have since returned to action.

Testing positive to Covid-19 isn’t the end of the world and it will be good if the society gives support to those found positive and fight stigma associated with coronavirus. — @ZililoR