Sao Paulo (AFP)
The former Brazil coach and current Palmeiras coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, 68, announced on Saturday that he had tested positive for coronavirus but was "asymptomatic", in a video posted on his Instagram account.
"During the tests that Palmeiras regularly does with its players and the technical committee, I tested positive for Covid-19. I am already quarantined at home, as a punishment, but as I am asymptomatic, I do not feel anything, I am calm, without pain or anything, I am followed by the doctors of Palmeiras ", declared the Brazilian technician, who had taken the head of the Auriverde selection after the 1998 World Cup and this, until the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.
The result of the test was known Friday evening and immediately, the medical service of Palmeiras notified the technician, who was stopped his activity.
Last week, Luxemburgo had successfully undergone an operation to remove his gallbladder. Four days after this surgery, he returned to club facilities, but it was not until Friday that he was able to conduct training for his team.
Luxemburgo is one of the most experienced and renowned coaches in Brazilian football. The former footballer is on his fifth visit to the Palmeiras bench, the club with which he won the Brazilian championship in 1993 and 1994 and the Sao Paulo state championship in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2008.
Luxemburgo has also coached Real Madrid and major Brazilian clubs such as the Corinthians, Santos, Cruzeiro, Fluminense, Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Gremio and Atletico Mineiro.
In addition to Luxemburgo, five Palmeiras players and three members of the technical committee tested positive for Covid-19, but the identities were not disclosed.
The Sao Paulo club resumed training on June 23, after receiving the approval of the regional government, although it does not know yet when it will resume competition.
In Brazil, only the Rio de Janeiro state championship has resumed despite the pandemic and the disputes of the Fluminense and Botafogo clubs.
Brazil, the country most affected by the coronavirus behind the United States, crossed the milestone of 60,000 deaths linked to this disease on Wednesday, for a total of around 1.5 million cases since the start of the pandemic.
© 2020 AFP