ATK Mohun Bagan's Prabir Das, SK Sahil test positive for COVID-19 before flying to Maldives for AFC Cup tie, says report

New Delhi: Two ATK Mohun Bagan players – Prabir Das and SK Sahil – have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team’s departure for the AFC Cup group stage competition in Maldives. The duo returned positive after all the team members underwent COVID-19 tests at a private hospital in Kolkata on 7 May before their travel to Maldives capital, Male for the Group D matches beginning on 14 May. Under the AFC protocols, competing players will have to have COVID-19 negative reports two days before departure from their home base. ATKMB are scheduled to leave for Maldives on Monday. “Yes, Prabir Das and Sahil have tested positive and so they will be left out. All others have negative results,” a source in the ATKMB team told PTI on conditions of anonymity. In their opening game on 14 May, ATKMB are scheduled to face the winner of the play-off match between another ISL side Bengaluru FC and Eagles FC of Maldives to be played on Tuesday. But ATKMB will decide when to depart from Kolkata after Maldives Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof’s had alleged that BFC had “breached” COVID-19 protocols and asked the AFC to cancel the play-off game and postpone the group stage matches also. The nature of the alleged “breach” by BFC is not clear. BFC had reached Maldives on Friday. “We are scheduled to depart on Monday but we are waiting a correspondence from the AFC regarding the status of the group stage matches after Maldives Sports Minister’s letter to AFC,” the ATKMB source said. He said goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya will travel with the team despite his mother testing positive for COVID-19. Captain Roy Krishna will directly reach Maldives from Fiji before the 14 May match, if the group stage games go ahead, he said.