Turkish football leagues can start in June earliest

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish football leagues can start at the beginning of June at the earliest, the Turkish Football Federation has said in a statement on Friday.

In the statement published at its official website, the federation said given the training period of the clubs, the leagues can start earliest at the beginning of June, and plan and program of alternative scenarios for all conditions are ready.

The football federation said the mission is to complete the 2019/2020 football season for the leagues "prioritizing human life first."

Turkey suspended on March 19 all competitions in four major sports: football, basketball, handball, and volleyball across the country amid growing coronavirus concerns.

The decision was announced by Mehmet Kasapoglu, Turkey's youth, and sports minister, in a news conference in the capital Ankara.

As many as 79 more people died of the coronavirus in Turkey in the past 24 hours, the Turkish health minister said on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 356.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country surged to 18,135, as 2,456 more people tested positive for the virus in a day.

There are 1,017,693 confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide, and 53,179 deaths, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. More than 212,000 people have recovered from the disease.