Serie A outfit Spezia has been hit by a mini-wave of the
pandemic within the club as it announced on Saturday that a further six players
and one staff member had tested positive for coronavirus during the team’s
pre-season training camp at Prato dello Stelvio in northern Italy.

The fresh cases bring the total to eight after a player
tested positive on Thursday in the north-western side now coached by former
Italy midfielder Thiago Motta.

“The latest round of swabs carried out by the team
group highlighted the positivity to COVID-19 of six players and a staff member.
As a precaution, the sporting activity is temporarily suspended, and the whole
team group will remain in isolation,” the Ligurian team said in a
statement.

The news comes as a further blow to the club that is already
reeling under a two-year transfer ban imposed on the club Friday by FIFA. The
ban was imposed for bringing underage Nigerian players to Italy in breach of
national immigration laws and the world football governing body’s regulations.

The US-owned outfit will not be allowed to sign new players
for four transfer windows starting from next January 2022.

Spezia finished a lowly 15th in the 20 team Serie A,
the Italian top division in football, last season. The team won just 9 of their
38 league games of the season, losing 17 of those and 12 ending in a stalemate.
The team will look to bounce back from the dismal show when the 2021-22 season
of Serie A kicks of on August 22. Spezia will take on Cagliari in the first
game.