The camp of the South African Under-23 national team in Tokyo, Japan, has been rocked by COVID-19 cases.
An official and one player have tested positive for COVID-19 as the Under-23s are preparing for their opening Tokyo Olympics match against Japan on Thursday.
“We definitely have challenges with positive cases of COVID. We already had one official and now a player that are affected,” SA Under-23 national team coach David Notoane revealed.
“Our programme is already on hold because we have to isolate the whole day. COVID is really scary in terms of impact for us in the tournament.”
The former SuperSport United and Santos striker admitted that they are living in fear at the Olympic Village.
“I think we came into this Olympic Village a little bit more confident. Then we thought we are over the COVID challenges in the Village that we should be more secure,” he said.
“Members of our squad who tested positive we can’t even imagine where they got it from. Everyone was negative and clear to enter the Village. It’s really scary. It’s gonna be a very difficult tournament.”
Meanwhile, Notoane has also revealed that he does not mind playing in front of empty seats during the Games.
“Playing without fans is something everyone has experienced in the last 18 months. We have to accept it. If we want to compete, we will compete without fans,” Notoane said.
Notoane’s boys face hosts Japan at the Tokyo Stadium on Thursday next week. Three days later, they will clash against France at the Saitana Stadium and then play Mexico in their final group stages match at the Sapporo Dome on 28 July.
