Bengaluru, June 3: J League club Nagoya Grampus's forward Mu Kanazaki has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Kanazaki's positive test comes less than a week after the J League announced plans to resume the season on July 4, though behind closed doors in stadiums, and as many clubs returned to full training.
Each team had played only one match when J League was suspended on February 26.
The club said Kanazaki, who has 11 caps for Japan, reported a temperature of 38.5 Celsius after training last week and received the result of his coronavirus test on Tuesday (June 2).
With restrictions eased across Japan, professional sports teams, including Nippon Professional Baseball clubs, have been returning to training.
Japan has been largely successful in containing COVID-19, recording 17,000 infections and 914 deaths.
Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has sent a message of unity and solidarity to the chiefs of the Member Associations and thanked them for their support during the COVID-19 crisis.
The AFC President praised the way the Member Associations have come together "to tackle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an international and domestic level - showing just how much Football Cares."
Al Khalifa also saluted the wider Asian football community for the way that they have cared for those in need in the cities and towns of their nations - whether it be through direct action or working with their Governments or Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).
And there was also a further thank you to the players and officials who have supported the AFC's "#BreaktheChain campaign which promotes the vital messages of the World Health Organization (WHO) of strict levels of hygiene, social distancing and, where Governments instruct, staying at home.
The AFC President concluded: "During these dark times you (the Member Associations), your players and officials have been a guiding light."
(With AFC Media inputs)