4 COVID-19 cases at Marseille postpones Ligue 1 opener

The 2020/21 Ligue 1 opener between Marseille and Saint-Etienne has been postponed after four confirmed coronavirus cases.

Doubts over whether the Ligue 1 opener would go ahead began last week when Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi tested positive for coronavirus.

The Olympians then confirmed this morning that there were another three confirmed cases through players and backroom staff, taking their total up to four overall.

Therefore, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) postponed Friday’s season opener after reviewing all the information.

“In view of the medical results communicated by Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday 18 August, the national COVID commission has indicated to the LFP’s Competition Commission that the virus is circulating within the Marseille club,” read a statement on the Ligue 1 website.

🔵 Following the tests carried out on Monday, no new cases of #COVID19 were revealed, but Sunday's 3 suspected cases have been confirmed.

The Club has sent all the details to the @LFPfr. pic.twitter.com/WjYdI6dQIG

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_English) August 18, 2020

“It proposes the postponement of the match Olympique de Marseille-AS Saint-Etienne – initially scheduled for 19:00 on Friday 21 August 2020, and counting for Round 1 of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 Uber Eats season.”

The match between Marseille and Saint-Etienne, therefore, is set to be rescheduled between September 16 and 17. Although the final date isn’t set in stone yet.

Further news will likely come forward in the upcoming weeks over this case as almost 40 players from 11 clubs in Ligue 1 have tested positive. These included players from Saint-Etienne.

Most of the positive cases caught the virus after returning to training in June. It led to quarantine and a host of pre-season games being canceled, including Marseille’s one against VfB Stuttgart last week.