As the new COVID-19 cases continue to grow in Italy as well as Europe, Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora warns it’s ‘outside the realms of reality’ to assume fans in the stadium next season.
The Lega Serie A had hoped to get at least season ticket holders in for the final round this weekend, but it now seems as if even the planned September 12 restart is unlikely.
As the new COVID-19 cases continue to grow in Italy as well as Europe, Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora warns it’s ‘outside the realms of reality’ to assume fans in the stadium next season.
The Lega Serie A had hoped to get at least season ticket holders in for the final round this weekend, but it now seems as if even the planned September 12 restart is unlikely.
“It’s outside the realms of reality to suggest the new season will start with open doors, and it is not in line with the decisions made by the Government,” Spadafora told Radio Kiss Kiss.
“The current season will close this weekend and that already seems to me a huge success. We were cautious and did everything calmly, only restarting football when it was possible and not when some tried to force us to do so.
“We can only hope that come September, we can resume without pressure. When it comes to playing with fans in the stadium, we need to follow the pandemic curve and see how the public health situation evolves first.”
FIGC President Gabriele Gravina said that he was ‘worried’ by the strict medical protocol used in Serie A compared to other leagues, but then while Spain has seen cases among players spike, Italy remains relatively unaffected.
“I too am worried, because I see the emergency situation that is still going on in Italy,” replied Spadafora. “When we figure out how the public health situation is evolving, then we can think about football and everything else.”
While the situation in Italy is relatively stable, with the easing of lockdown measures, the number of new coronavirus cases has surged around Europe.
Over the last 24 hours, there were nine deaths related to COVID-19 in Italy, with 379 new cases out of 68,444 tests.
Another six were released from intensive care, leaving only 41, and 178 were given the all-clear.
In comparison, Spain announced 1,153 new positive cases on Thursday, it’s highest number since May 1.
Italy is also finding many more cases due to a wider screening programme, which includes blood tests for those with no symptoms.