Besiktas are gearing up for the Super Lig restart after coronavirus disruptions next month but are facing a number of obstacles.
Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi was among eight people who have tested positive for Covid-19 at the club.
Besiktas revealed a statement confirming Cebi has contracted the virus.
The statement read: “Club president Ahmet Nur Cebi tested positive for Covid-19 at the Nevzat Demir training grounds. We wish our president a speedy recovery.
The latest development comes just days after Besiktas resumed training after a lengthy break due to coronavirus disruptions.
Besiktas had to call off their camp following the latest developments.
Last week, another Super Lig player tested positive for Covid-19 at Ankaragucu.
The Ankara based outfit suspended training sessions and all players and staff will be retested again on May 11.
Besiktas had taken steps to prevent the spread of the virus among the squad and staff by installing a giant disinfectant cabinet at the entrance to the club’s training ground.
The disinfectant installation has 20 sides which fumigate players and staff who must pass through it before participating in training.
The structure will remain the BJK Nevzat Demir training grounds for the foreseeable future while the virus is still prevalent.
Otherwise, Besiktas have a full-strength squad with no major injury concerns heading into the restart. There is concern over what will happen over loan contracts set to run out on June 30 but a contract extension is expected to be brought into effect.
One player the Black Eagles will be without is Loris Karius who terminated his deal after a pay dispute, returning to Liverpool as a result.
The TFF plan to start the season on 12 June and complete the campaign by July 26 but there could be a storm brewing as the federation president Nihat Ozdemir announced that the decision was taken after consulting the Turkish Health Ministry.
The health minister Fahrettin Koca meanwhile, claimed otherwise: ‘The federation took the decision at its own initiative, therefore, the responsibility falls on the federation.’
Additionally, Sivasspor manager Riza Calimbay publically criticized plans of a return by saying: ‘The league was suspended when there were only a few cases, now they want to resume when there are thousands. I cannot understand why.’
