Inter director Beppe Marotta reiterates the Lega Serie A “must accept the blame” for the fixture chaos, as clubs are refusing to play behind closed doors.
Inter director Beppe Marotta reiterates the Lega Serie A “must accept the blame” for the fixture chaos, as clubs are refusing to play behind closed doors.
There continues to be a disconnect between the Government decrees to control the spread of Coronavirus by banning large public gatherings and the Lega Serie A insistence on postponing games rather than play them without a crowd.
Postponing Juventus-Inter, which was due to kick off this evening, rather than play behind closed doors has set a precedent now and none of the other clubs will back down.
“There were discussions during the week, but what is so strange is that on Thursday the Lega Serie A released a statement confirming five games would be played behind closed doors, then in under 48 hours changed what the Minister for Sport had asked for,” Marotta told Telelombardia this evening.
“The Lega must accept the blame, because before making such an important decision, they should at the very least have called an extraordinary meeting of the clubs, which is now happening on Wednesday – another anomaly.
“Nobody wants to play behind closed doors, but I still maintain that it was indispensable considering the situation. The President of the Lega Serie A had the right to make the decision, but because he didn’t consult anyone first, he must then accept the criticism and responsibility that comes with that.”
There are reports the entire Serie A season could simply be shuffled along by one week, so moving Juventus-Inter to Monday March 9.
“That is one of the options, we asked the Lega to elaborate two or three new options to present to the group. The important thing is that the regularity of the tournament is assured. If we can’t play behind closed doors this Sunday, then we can’t think of doing it next weekend.”