Serie A could follow Ligue 1, Eredivisie by cancelling 2019-20 season: Italy's sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora
Italy's Minister for Sport and Youth Policies Vincenzo Spadafora
Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora on Wednesday said that Serie A, country’s top-flight football league, is unlikely to resume this season due to COVID-19 pandemic. On March 9, Italy had suspended Serie A as a part of strict lockdown phase to curb the spread of COVID-19 that has seen over 200,000 confirmed cases with more than 27,000 deaths in the country, the second-highest tally in the entire world after the United States.
Spadafora said that if he was one of the presidents of Serie A clubs then he would be focusing on the next season rather than spending time thinking about the halted campaign.
"I see an increasingly narrow path for the resumption of the Serie A... If I were one of the presidents (of the clubs) I would focus on the next season," Spadafora told an Italian broadcaster.
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The Netherlands and France are two European countries to have ended their football campaigns due to the coronavirus pandemic, whereas, the Premier League, German Bundesliga and Serie A are among those who want to finish the 2019/20 season.
"These decisions (in France and in the Netherlands) could push Italy to follow this line, which would become a European line," Spadafora said while adding that he thought a majority of Serie A clubs may soon ask to cancel the league.
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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had earlier announced that lockdown will be eased from May 4 with sports team given the allowance to train from May 18.
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While the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has chalked out a medical protocol for training, Spadafora has clarified that government’s scientific experts didn't deem it sufficient.
"If the championship should ever resume, it will certainly be behind closed doors," Spadafora said.
As of now, there are 12 more rounds of matches to be played in Serie A with a number of games from incompleted rounds. As things stand, Juventus are one point clear of Lazio at the top of the table.