DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Müller has tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the Club World Cup final, FIFA said Thursday.
FIFA said Müller has been placed in isolation and will be ineligible for the final against Mexican club Tigres. Bayern said he would go into quarantine when he returned home.
“FC Bayern has agreed this with the relevant authorities,” Bayern said. “The whole FC Bayern team was tested again on Thursday. There were no further positive cases.”
Müller played 62 minutes in Bayern’s 2-0 win over Al Ahly in the semifinals on Monday.
FIFA and Qatari organizers have said they put strict anti-virus measures in place for the tournament, which is one of the few major soccer events taking place with spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Müller is the third Bayern player to miss the final for coronavirus-related reasons. Midfielders Leon Goretzka and Javi Martinez both stayed in Germany instead of traveling to Qatar for the tournament following positive tests and are in training at the club’s base.
Oceania representative Auckland City withdrew from the Club World Cup before it began because it would have faced tough quarantine rules when returning home to New Zealand after the event.
Two players from African champion Al Ahly were left out of the squad for Thursday’s third-place game against South American champion Palmeiras. The Egyptian club said Mahmoud Kahraba and Hussien Elshahat had been accused of breaching rules designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus following Monday’s semifinal loss to Bayern.
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