Coronavirus: Sport Disrupted In Italy

With surge in the number of new coronavirus cases, Sport in Italy is being heavily disrupted.

However, Napoli’s Champions League match against Barcelona in the south of the country on Tuesday is not at risk.

Italy reported its fifth death from the virus on Monday and it has the most confirmed cases in Europe.

A surge in infections at the weekend forced the postponement of four Serie A football matches in the north of the country where the outbreak is concentrated in two regions.

The game between Torino and Parma in Turin was called off as well as the matches between title-chasing Inter Milan and Sampdoria, Atalanta and Sassuolo, and Hellas Verona and Cagliari.

AC Milan also announced the postponement of their women’s team’s match against Fiorentina on Sunday.

The government announced on Sunday that all sporting events in two northern regions would be suspended, with Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora saying the government had “a duty to be prudent and responsible”.

Napoli’s last 16 Champions League match against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona side will go ahead on Tuesday as southern Italy is currently unaffected.

European football body UEFA said they were monitoring any change in that situation.

“UEFA is following the situation closely and is contact with the clubs and the authorities concerned,” a spokesman said.

A medical taskforce met at the Italian Football Federation’s headquarters in Rome on Monday to plot a way forward, but it seems likely that the high-profile Serie A clash between Juventus and Inter on Sunday will be played behind closed doors.

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