Further A-League turmoil

A-League has yet again been rocked by a series of Covid cases as the competition confirmed a further three games had been postponed.

Central Coast Mariners v Macarthur, Newcastle v Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar have all been called off due to positive Covid tests.

It continues the recent run of A-League men’s matches to be called off due to Covid, as four Round 6 matches were postponed and only two were played.

The decision means it will be the second week in a row that Newcastle, Central Coast,

Brisbane and Melbourne City have not played a game.

Such was the Covid outbreak among the Mariners, the team would have been “unable to field a side” in the event the match went ahead. Brisbane also confirmed members of the team had contracted Covid and were self-isolating.

Melbourne City had previously confirmed a series of positive cases on December 22, but due to the number of cases, the A-Leagues felt that a postponement was necessary.

“The A-League’s protocols continue to be effective for screening and subsequent PCR testing in detecting the virus and ensuring immediate isolation,” an A-League stateTHE ment said. “Our primary concern is for the health, wellbeing and safety of all players, staff and their families.

“All positive cases and those close to them are adhering to the relevant state government health directives in close consultation with the A-League.

As it stands, only two round 7 A-League Men’s matches will go ahead: Western Sydney Wanderers v Western United and Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix.

Sydney FC v Perth Glory had previously been postponed due to the Glory having to isolate in Queensland after a player tested positive, but the squad has since returned to Western Australia.