Talented Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai is likely to miss his upcoming club game and an important awards ceremony as he has just tested positive for the coronavirus.

Hanoi FC, which manages Hai at the club level, organized a COVID-19 testing session on Tuesday in preparation for their friendly match against Nam Dinh FC this weekend.

Hai was the only player receiving two positive results in the testing session.

He was allowed to halt practicing and self-isolate at home for treatment. 

Currently, the midfielder, born in 1997, does not have any COVID-19 symptoms.

As Hai’s quarantine period will last seven days in accordance with local health authorities’ regulations, his plans for the new year will also be turned upside down, including the potential absence at the 2021 Vietnam Golden Ball Award, the country’s most prestigious individual football awards, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 16.

The midfielder is in the top five nominees for the Men’s Golden Ball and is expected to compete with rising star Nguyen Hoang Duc for the title. 

However, Hai’s COVID-19 infection is likely to prevent him from attending the awards ceremony.

Hai is also expected to miss the friendly match between Hanoi FC and Nam Dinh FC at Thien Truong Stadium on Saturday, which is meant to be a warm-up for the 2022 top-tier V.League 1 -- scheduled to commence on February 25.

Since the beginning of the year, Hai has played for Vietnam in two matches in the third Asian qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including a 4-0 defeat against Australia on January 27 and a 3-1 victory over China on February 1.

The playmaker then went home for the Lunar New Year holiday and just resumed club training on Monday.

Many Vietnamese players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, including Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Tien Linh, Que Ngoc Hai, and Lieu Quang Vinh. 

Center-back Que Ngoc Hai even did not celebrate Lunar New Year’s Eve with his family because he was still in isolation then.

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