AFP, Los Angeles :
Curacao were forced to withdraw from the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Friday less than 24 hours before their opening fixture after a Covid-19 outbreak in the team’s camp, organisers said. A statement from CONCACAF confirmed that the island nation had been pulled out of the tournament after a “significant number” of staff and players had tested positive for coronavirus.
Curacao, who were due to play El Salvador on Saturday in the opening game of the 16-nation championship for teams from Central America, North America and the Caribbean, will be replaced by Guatemala.
CONCACAF said Curacao, who are coached by former Ajax and Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, had undergone several rounds of Covid-19 testing ahead of Saturday’s game in Frisco, Texas, in suburban Dallas.
After several staff and players returned positive results, all individuals concerned had entered isolation immediately.
“Although several Curacao players returned a negative test result, local state guidelines require several of them to isolate due to being close contacts of those who tested positive,” CONCACAF said.
