New Delhi: Spanish football coach Francisco Garcia has passed away aged 21 after contracting coronavirus.

Garcia was serving as the manager of Atletico Portada Alta’s youth team since 2016. He has become the youngest victim of the illness in the region, goal.com reported.

Atletico Portada Alta released an official statement on Instagram about the passing away of Garcia.

“We want to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and close friends of our coach Francisco Garcia who has left us, unfortunately, today,” the statement said.

“Now what do we do without you, Francis? You were always there with us at Portada or wherever you were needed, helping out. How can we keep covering all those kilometres in the league? We don’t know how, but we will surely do it for you. We will not forget you, rest in peace, phenomenon. Until forever,” it added.

He passed away on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, having been sent to the Regional Hospital of Malaga for treatment. When the manager arrived at the facility, it was also found out that he was also suffering from leukemia.

Spanish football’s major leagues have been shut down indefinitely to contain the spread of coronavirus. The same thing has been followed in UK, France, and Italy.

All major football competitions like La Liga, Premier League, Champions League, and Serie A have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday declared that the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic has moved from China, where new cases reported have drastically decreased, to Europe, where most countries are seeing a climb in infections and fatalities. (ANI)