Chelsea training cancelled after ‘major scare’ with coronavirus
https://theathletic.com/1671855/2020/03/12/chelsea-coronavirus-training-cancelled-cobham/
Chelsea players were ordered not to attend training on Thursday after someone close to the squad complained of coronavirus symptoms.
Sources have told The Athletic that the situation developed on Wednesday night and a decision was made to cancel Thursday’s session early in the morning before any of the players had arrived.
The person experiencing the symptoms — a fever followed by a dry cough, which can lead to breathing problems — had not been diagnosed with coronavirus as of Thursday lunchtime but the situation has been described as a “major scare”.
It is understood that the club’s training base at Cobham is being thoroughly cleaned as a precautionary measure and there are no members of staff in the building, including coach Frank Lampard and his backroom team.
It is not clear whether training will be able to go ahead on Friday but Lampard’s pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa is planned to take place at Cobham as normal.
The club’s preparations for their Premier League game on Saturday at 5.30pm have been compromised, though, and their travel arrangements are now at risk.
The team planned to drive up to Birmingham on Friday to stay in a hotel overnight, which is something the squad do regularly for away matches. But now there is a strong possibility they will have to take a coach up there on the day of the game instead.
The match against Aston Villa is an important one for Chelsea’s bid to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish. They lead Manchester United, who are in fifth, by three points with nine Premier League fixtures to go.
Chelsea are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round and then securing their biggest victory of the season with a 4-0 triumph over Everton in the top flight last Sunday.
The dressing rooms at Stamford Bridge were thoroughly cleaned before the Everton match, while access for camera crews was also limited. This is standard practice across the Premier League, The Athletic has been told.
There is a strong possibility that the Villa fixture and other English football fixtures will be ordered to be played behind closed doors as action is stepped up to control the spread of the virus.
Spectators have already been barred from the second leg of Chelsea’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich in Germany next Wednesday.
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