BERLIN (Reuters) -Already-quarantined Bayern Munich players Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Kimmich have tested positive for COVID-19, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday, as the German champions struggle with rising cases and a reduced squad.
The pair have already been quarantined along with Serge Gnabry, Michael Cuisance, and Jamal Musiala for days after having come into contact with an infected person last week.
“Choupo-Moting has tested positive for the coronavirus,” Bayern said. “The Bayern attacker is currently isolating at home and is feeling fine despite the circumstances.”
The club said Kimmich, who is the most high-profile unvaccinated Bayern player, had also tested positive later in the day.
The Bavarians are top of the Bundesliga, a point ahead of Borussia Dortmund, following their shock 2-1 loss on Friday to Augsburg. They have also qualified for the Champions League knockout stage.
The Bavarians were already without Niklas Suele, who has just recovered from the virus while fellow defender Josip Stanisic is in isolation after testing positive last week.
On Tuesday Bayern had only four outfield players on the bench during their 2-1 Champions League victory over Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine.
Bayern are also dealing with mounting criticism for having unvaccinated players, with Germany international Kimmich saying he refuses a shot over what concerns he has about long-term effects.
The vaccination status of Choupo-Moting is unclear with major German media, including Bild newspaper, reporting he is still unvaccinated.
Club bosses informed unvaccinated players last week that they would be docking their pay for their periods of coronavirus quarantine, in line with local laws.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Pritha Sarkar)
