Real Madrid footballers sent into quarantine

'The club has followed the recommendation of placing the basketball and football teams into quarantine as the two squads share facilities at the club's training ground.'

Real Madrid has sent all of the members of its soccer and basketball teams home into quarantine after one of the sports club's basketball players tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Spanish club said in a statement on Thursday.

"Real Madrid CF announces that a player from our basketball team has tested positive after undergoing tests for coronavirus COVID-19," said the statement on the club's official website.

"From now, the club has followed the recommendation of placing the basketball and football teams into quarantine as the two squads share facilities at the club's training ground.

"We have also decided to close our training ground and recommended that all staff who work at the facility remain in quarantine."

The announcement has led to the next two rounds of matches in Spain's top division being postponed by the organising body, La Liga, including Real's match at home to Eibar, which had been due to take place on Friday without spectators.

All national league basketball games have also been postponed, Real's statement added.

La Liga suspended for at least two weeks

All soccer matches in Spain's top division, La Liga, have been suspended for two weeks over fears of the spread of the coronavirus, the league's organising body said in a statement on Thursday.

The league's statement said the decision came after Real Madrid put its squad into quarantine, and that it had notified the clubs, the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) and the national sports ministry of the postponements.