Serie A schedule thrown into further chaos amid coronavirus outbreak
Sunday’s early kick-off looked at one stage as if it would be called off.
Confusion gripped Serie A on Sunday as over 16 million Italians prepared to go into lockdown in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Parma’s match against SPAL was delayed moments before the scheduled kick-off time after the sports minister requested the league was suspended, according to Italian media reports.
The match eventually kicked off 75 minutes late. All matches in Serie A have been ordered to be played behind closed doors until at least next month.
Pescara took to the field in their Serie B game at Benvento wearing protective masks, declaring themselves “concerned for the health of our players and that of the opponents”.
Elsewhere in Europe, French health minister Olivier Veran announced on Sunday evening that all gatherings of more than 1,000 people are now prohibited in the country.
Paris St Germain were earlier reported to have have had their Parc des Princes stadium disinfected in a bid to ensure Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund would not have to be played behind closed doors.
The first leg of Wolves’ Europa League round-of-16 tie against Olympiacos looks set to be played behind closed doors in Greece on Thursday.
A final decision has not yet been confirmed by UEFA but the Greek government announced on Sunday that all professional sports events for the next fortnight will be played without spectators.
The German Football League (DFL) has announced it has no plans at this stage to extend the Bundesliga season should matches be postponed.
DFL managing director Christian Seifert said in a statement: “Of course, the clubs of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga will continue to coordinate closely with the responsible authorities at the respective locations with regard to the schedule of further match days.
“At the same time, there is no question that the season must be played through mid-May to determine promoted and relegated players and the participants for the international competitions.
“This is the only way for clubs and DFL to have planning certainty for the coming season despite difficult circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the sport’s European governing body has followed the Premier League’s lead by banning pre-match handshakes at all UEFA matches until further notice.
UEFA said in a statement: “This will be applied to all UEFA matches and is in line with recommendations made by the World Health Organisation to minimise potential transmission of Covid-19.”
In a statement the club said: “We believe the fact that the facility is shared with our first team leaves us with little choice but to take this action, to protect Marcelo Bielsa’s squad from any risk of coming into contact with anyone who has contracted the virus.”
This month’s Bahrain Grand Prix will take place behind closed doors due to the outbreak, organisers have announced.
The second round of the Formula One season, due to be stage from March 20-22, has become the latest sporting event to close to the public because of the virus.
A statement from race organisers said: “In consultation with our international partners and the Kingdom’s national health taskforce, Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix as a participants-only event.
“As an F1 host nation, balancing the welfare of supporters and race goers is a tremendous responsibility.
“Given the continued spread of Covid-19 globally, convening a major sporting event which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time.
Bahrain has reported over 60 cases of the coronavirus. Officials said the race would take place amid a series of rigorous sanitation measures in the country, including “social distancing”.
The statement added: “Bahrain’s own early actions to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with Covid-19 has been extremely successful to date.
“Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the virus’ spread, something that would clearly be near impossible to maintain were the race to have proceeded as originally planned.
“We know how disappointed many will be by this news, especially for those planning to travel to the event, which has become a cornerstone event of the international F1 calendar, but safety has to remain our utmost priority.”
Meanwhile Italian team Ferrari say they remain in close contact with the authorities in light of the increasing restrictions on movement in the country.
“Following measures announced by the Italian Government last night, we are monitoring and evaluating the situation and are in close contact with the relevant authorities and all organisations involved,” a statement said.
“For Ferrari, compliance with the Government regulations represents the primary guarantee for ensuring the safety of its employees and their families which is our priority. Every single decision will be made with respect to this principle.
“Part of the team and equipment have already arrived in Melbourne and the departures for the remaining members of the team are going ahead as programmed unless we receive communications to the contrary.”
The Cofidis and Groupama-FDJ cycling teams have both announced they have been released from 10 days of quarantine in the wake of the abandoned UAE Tour and are heading home.
