Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora remains adamant “resuming Serie A is increasingly unlikely” and “most Presidents could soon ask me to close the season here.”
Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora remains adamant “resuming Serie A is increasingly unlikely” and “most Presidents could soon ask me to close the season here.”
The latest Government decree to resume training on May 18 rather than May 4 infuriated the clubs, coaches and even the Players’ Association, who wanted a copy of the Spanish model for easing coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures.
“Negotiations are in progress between the scientific committee and the FIGC, who has presented a medical protocol that was not considered sufficient,” Spadafora told La7 television.
“However, I always said that resuming training does not necessarily mean resuming the season. I see resuming Serie A as an increasingly unlikely possibility.
“The players want to resume training, quite rightly, but if I were the President of a club, I’d think more about how to start the next season in safety.
“France won’t be the last league to decide to stop here and this could prompt Italy to take the same approach.”
However, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Premier League are all working on plans to get back on the field by early June, with the Champions League and Europa League set for August.
Spadafora was also asked about the protest from Lazio President Claudio Lotito, who said that with the Government decree we’ll see Ciro Immobile and Edin Dzeko running in the Villa Borghese park from May 4-18 because they’re not allowed into the walled off safety of a training ground.
“I hope there was a little irony in what Lotito was saying. We could not just reopen sport for everyone. The scientific committee told us to keep the numbers down, so we had to make choices. Only a few thousand will get back to training straight away.
“The protocol presented by the football world was not sufficient. I am starting to get the idea there will be a surprise over the next few days, which is that Presidents could soon ask me to close the season here so they can prepare for the next one.”