A Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Belgian club Genk and the Nigeria national team as a forward, Paul Ebere Onuachu, has on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19).
Onuachu, Super Eagles Striker is the second Nigerian footballer to test positive for the pandemic virus after Akpan Udoh, the first footballer to be infected, in February.
The result of Onuachu’s fellow footballers, Stephen Odey and Cyril Dessers at Belgian club Genk, read negative.
In the run-up to the first exhibition game of the season, the entire Genk group was tested yesterday (Tuesday),” a report on Belgian website stated.
“Everyone tested negative except Onuachu,” the report added.
The 26-year-old Nigeria international left Belgium for Nigeria on May 27, alongside fellow Eagles strikers Victor Osimhen and Imoh Ezekiel and returned to his club June 28 after he was stranded for a week in Lagos due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Quotes from the Belgian website, Onuachu will miss Genk’s first exhibition game of the season against Eendracht Termien on Thursday which is today as he will be isolated for seven (7) days.
Onuachu’s COVID-19 status has however raised concerns within the Genk squad as he had trained intensively with the rest of the squad for more than a week now.
This deadly contagion has caused cancellations and suspensions of sporting activities across the world.