Poland coach Brzeczek tests positive for COVID-19

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's national soccer team coach, Jerzy Brzeczek, has tested positive for coronavirus, the Polish FA said on Saturday.

"As a result of this situation, a standard isolation procedure was introduced in accordance with the applicable sanitary regulations," the FA statement said.

Brzeczek, 49, was expected to lead the team in a friendly with Finland on Oct.7 and against Italy in the Nations League four days later, with both games hosted in Gdansk.

Poland are third in League A, Group 1 level on three points with the second-placed Netherlands and a point behind leaders Italy after two games. Bosnia are bottom with one point.

Former Poland captain Brzeczek was appointed national team coach in 2018. The midfielder was part of the team which won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Poland has seen record daily hikes in new coronavirus cases in the past few days. It reported 1,584 new cases on Saturday, close to Friday's record high, the health ministry said.

Earlier on Saturday, Poland's Defence Ministry said Deputy Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz tested positive for COVID-19, but has had no symptoms.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; writing by Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Ken Ferris)