Sakai first J.League player to test positive for coronavirus

Soccer Football - 2. Bundesliga - SC Paderborn 07 v Hamburger SV - Benteler-Arena, Paderborn, Germany - May 12, 2019 Hamburger's Gotoku Sakai in action with PadebornÕs Mohamed Drager REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay DFL regulations prohibit any use of photographs as image sequences and/or quasi-video

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan defender Gotoku Sakai has tested positive for coronavirus, his club Vissel Kobe confirmed on Monday, becoming the first J.League player to be named as having the virus.

Sakai, who has 42 caps for Japan, first reported having a fever on Wednesday and was diagnosed with acute upper respiratory infection in a hospital the following day. His positive test for coronavirus was confirmed on Monday, the club said.