The referee has officially called off Udinese’s Serie A match with Salernitana because the visitors ‘failed to show up,’ sparking the legal battle over COVID protocols.
It was already known that Salernitana would not be present at the Dacia Arena, as they were ordered to quarantine by the local health authority (ASL) after three positive COVID tests within the squad.
However, the Lega Serie A and Udinese refused to postpone the fixture, insisting these cases were not sufficient to trigger the COVID protocol.
Therefore, much like Juventus vs. Napoli last year, Udinese and the referees arrived at the stadium and 45 minutes on from the supposed kick-off, the official blew his whistle to confirm the game was not held.
“The match Udinese vs. Salernitana was not held due to Salernitana failing to show up,” noted the official Lega Serie A Twitter account.
Udinese and the referee did not step onto the pitch, disappointing the dozen or so supporters who had turned up anyway in the hope of seeing their favourite players.
Now Salernitana will be given an automatic 3-0 defeat in this fixture and docked one point.
However, there is a precedent set by Napoli’s legal battle against Juventus in similar circumstances, suggesting the game will be replayed eventually.
This is because the COVID protocol makes clear that the ASL can over-rule the football authorities.
The match #UdineseSalernitana was not held due to @OfficialUSS1919 failing to show up#SerieA💎 #WeAreCalcio pic.twitter.com/Ubg1qCRSlq
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 21, 2021