Three new positive coronavirus cases at Marseille

French club had to postpone start of their season because the five existing Covid-19 cases

The Velodrome stadium, home to Marseille, who have reported an outbreak of the coronavirus. AP

French club Marseille announced on Tuesday that three more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, following five players last week.

“Marseille has just learned that three new suspected cases of Covid-19 have been detected in its professional squad,” the club said in a statement.

The five players already infected, whose names were not divulged, are all asymptomatic, the club said.

Marseille had to cancel what would have been the Ligue 1 season opener last Friday because of the five existing cases.

It said it had notified the French league about the new infections.

Besides Marseille, several other Ligue 1 clubs have been affected by the virus, including Montpellier, Lens, Nice, Angers, Monaco and Brest.

Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, have obtained permission from league officials to push back their season-opening match, initially scheduled on Saturday against Lens, to September 10.

PSG played in Sunday’s Champions League final, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich, meaning there would have been only six days between matches.

Their return to domestic duty will come at a busy time, however, sandwiched between France’s international match against Croatia on September 8 and the French capital side’s opening home fixture of the season five days later against Marseille.