Italian Soccer League Postponed Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Fears - Forbes

Italian Soccer League Postponed Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Fears - Forbes

TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 26: general view of the stadium before the UEFA Champions League group D ... [+] match between Juventus and Atletico Madrid at Allianz Stadium on November 26, 2019 in Turin, Italy (Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)

Juventus FC via Getty Images

Italian major soccer league Serie A officially postponed five fixtures which were initially ordered to played behind closed doors, Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The decision was taken last Saturday by the government due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, amid fears of further spreading COVID-19 throughout the country.

The matches called off are Udinese-Fiorentina, AC Milan-Genoa, Parma-SPAL, Sassuolo-Brescia and the big match Juventus-FC Inter, which was due to take place on Sunday, March 1.

The decision follows last weekend's disruption when four Serie A games set in the north of Italy were suspended for the same reason.

The Serie A announced that the games have been rescheduled to May 13, a date that was already set aside for the league cup final, which as a result was postponed to May 20.

Italian sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora released a statement after a crisis meeting between the Government and soccer authorities on Saturday morning confirming the rescheduling of the games.

“In the Coronavirus emergency, the Government and other authorities have been forced to make some unpopular, but necessary decisions”.

Vincenzo Spadafora, Italian Sport Minister

However, the Minister stressed out that “It was an autonomous decision, that as Minister I welcomed”.

ROME, ITALY - NOVEMBER 20: The Minister for Youth Policy and Sport, Vincenzo Spadafora attends the ... [+] Social Football Summit at Olympic Stadium on November 20, 2019 in Rome, Italy. Social Football Summit is an international event focused on digital and social media marketing, brand strategy and innovation in the football industry. (Photo by Stefano Montesi - Corbis/ Getty Images)

Corbis via Getty Images

The choice has caused huge controversy, as some games were canceled just hours before kick-off, with visiting teams already traveling to the stadiums.

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the decision was taken as the two biggest clubs - FC Inter and Juventus - refused to lose $5,5 million worth of ticket revenues for the ‘Derby d’Italia’, the league most important game of the season planned on Sunday evening. 

Ticket sales accounts for a big chunk of clubs profit: during the 2018/2019 financial year they made up for 11% of Juventus’s $674 million total revenue, according to the club’s annual report.

In an interview with Sky Sports Italy, FC Inter director Beppe Marotta complained that the decision “was made very, very late” and expressed his worries that the postponement of the big match against Juventus will lead to more cancellations. 

“As a citizen, we are in an emergency situation and so we must naturally have respect for the public health” while at the same time he warned that “we must ensure Serie A is played regularly and competitively”.

“We have to try to adopt a single and fair regulation that can ensure the regularity of the tournament because I am frankly very worried about upcoming fixtures”

Beppe Marotta, FC Inter Sports Director

“This unpredictable event must make us reconsider the whole situation in order to leave some gaps because the compression of fixtures puts undue pressure on the players”.

This statement comes after the Nerazzurri’s previous game against Sampdoria is still waiting for a date to be rescheduled after cancellation.

Further reschedules could represent a massive problem if the Milan-based team reach the Final of the Coppa Italia or the final of the Europa League, the second biggest soccer competition in the continent.

Meanwhile, Italian authorities have ordered some precautionary measures to prevent further outbreaks of the COVID-19, as the country registered the highest number of virus-related death toll.

Tourists in St. Peter's Square and along Via della Conciliazione, wear anti-virus masks to protect ... [+] themselves from coronavirus infection, in Italy on February 29, 2020 positive results to coronavirus There are 888 people infected by the new coronavirus Sars-Covid-19 in Italy, of which 46 healed and 21 deceased.on February 29 , 2020 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Serie A is not the only competition affected by the disruption, as all major sport and cultural events have been canceled, while schools and universities in the north of the country remain closed. 

Last Saturday, Italian health authorities stated in a press conference that the number of overall cases had risen to 888, with some 64 of the patients in intensive care.

Italian soccer needs a prompt decision that takes into account clubs’ budget, public health concerns, and soccer calendar, as the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship is set to begin on June 12.

2020-03-01 11:35:00Z
https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomogalardini/2020/03/01/italian-soccer-league-postponed-amid-ongoing-coronavirus-fears/

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