Getafe President Angel Torres announced his team will not travel to Italy for their Europa League game with Inter, as Italian and Spanish Player Associations demand a halt to all matches during the Coronavirus crisis.
All football has been suspended in Italy until April 3, while the Spanish Players’ Association are calling for a similar block there. You can read more on that story on Football Espana.
Getafe President Angel Torres announced his team will not travel to Italy for their Europa League game with Inter, as Italian and Spanish Player Associations demand a halt to all matches during the Coronavirus crisis.
All football has been suspended in Italy until April 3, while the Spanish Players’ Association are calling for a similar block there. You can read more on that story on Football Espana.
The Spanish Government has banned direct flights from Italy until March 25, so it remains to be seen how or if the teams will travel for their UEFA fixtures.
This Thursday, Roma are meant to play in Seville, while Getafe are due to take on Inter in Milan.
Next week, Napoli have the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie with Barcelona at Camp Nou.
On Tuesday evening, the Italian and Spanish Players’ Association released a joint statement demanding that UEFA “suspend all games that involve Italian and Spanish teams so we can play them in conditions of greater security and with less of an emergency in the two countries.
“Playing a game in Milan over the next couple of days would put the health of many people at risk. Travel between Italy and Spain over the next few weeks will become increasingly complicated and dangerous.
“The Coronavirus is becoming a European issue and no longer just an Italian one. We trust that a profound reflection on the entire European fixture list will be made in the light of news reports that get worse as time goes on.”
Meanwhile, Getafe President Angel Torres told Onda Cero that his team had no intention of travelling to Milan, as Lombardy is the absolute centre of the Italian outbreak.
“Unless quite a lot changes tomorrow, Getafe will not be flying to Italy,” Torres told Onda Cero, via Football Espana.
“We have asked UEFA to consider an alternative to playing in Milan. We have asked for help from the Spanish FA too."