Italy suspend the Serie A and all sporting activity amidst coronavirus outbreak

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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All sporting activity in Italy has been suspended until April after a decision taken by the Italian national Olympic committee today. The decision has been confirmed by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte but it doesn’t cover the Champions League, Europa League, the Euros or international games.

Sky Sports and the Guardian have confirmed that the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) had earlier today, called for all sports in Italy to be blocked/suspended until April 3rd. However, that decision had to be confirmed and enforced by the governing body as Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced that the Serie A has been suspended indefinitely.

This includes all matches in Italy’s top tier but does not include any international matches, Europa League or Champions League games and the Euro 2020. Italy are a host nation for the Euro but the decision to suspend sports doesn’t extend to that or to any matches outside the IFF's (Italian football Federation) power. This comes after growing pressure from all across the country to suspend both the Serie A and the Serie B amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

Italy’s are the worst affected country after China as the death toll jumped on Monday by 97 to 463 and it saw Conte went on to say that he has enforced the ruling made by CONI and has asked everyone to stay at home. He also added that there are no more red zones but instead just a country that needs to be protected and travel must be down to a bare minimum.

“There is no more time, the numbers tell us there is a significant increase in the contagion, in intensive care and the deaths. Our habits have to change, we must sacrifice something for the good of all of Italy. This is why we will adopt even more stringent measures. I will sign the new decree, which can be summed up with the phrase ‘I am staying at home’,” said Conte reported Football Italia.

"There are no more red zones, there is just an Italy that is protected. We must avoid travel unless for proven work reasons, health reasons or other necessities. We ban large public gatherings. We also have more stringent measures in mind for sporting events. Serie A and all sporting tournaments, in general, are suspended. All the fans must accept that. There is no reason for these competitions to continue," he added.

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