Getafe will not travel to play Europa League tie against Inter Milan, confirms Angel Torres
Getafe president Angel Torres has confirmed that his side have refused to travel for their Europa League clash over fears of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The La Liga side plays Inter Milan and have been joined by AS Roma, who have also refused to travel to Sevilla for their Europa League game.
The outbreak of COVID-19 saw Serie A get suspended till the 3rd April but the UEFA continue to stay stubborn, not postponing or suspending any of the matches being hosted in Italy. The match will obviously be played with no audience which is a big blow to the spirit of the game, but UEFA remains insensitive about the matter.
Getafe’s major concern though comes from the region they are about to travel to. Lombardy is the epicentre of Europe’s worst COVID-19 outbreak and has led to a nationwide lockdown. Return flights between Spain and Italy have been banned and in an interview, Getafe President Angel Torres made his concerns clear. He went on to admit that the Italian government has suspended sporting activity and that is what UEFA needs to do.
“The Italian government has banned its own competition out of fear of further spread of the disease. If we were to put ourselves in the firing line by playing there, it would be a contradiction that doesn't make any sense. It would be great to play the tie against Inter and we were very excited as a club and a fan base, but if that can't happen and we have to lose the tie, we'll do so with our heads held high," admitted Torres to Onda Cero.
Torres had no filter while speaking against UEFA and even admitted that European football's governing body has been "sleeping on their laurels" with them struggling to cope up with the way the coronavirus is spreading. He also added that the virus has already affected Spain and Getafe do not want to risk their staff and players in another country which could potentially harm a lot of people.
“I think they (UEFA) have been sleeping on their laurels. People might be scared of UEFA, but what scares me most, is the people close to me contracting the disease. We don’t want our travel to prove dangerous and then affect the Spanish League. We might ask the Spanish Football Federation to intervene. In all the positivity, Angel Torres has taken the responsibility of the club's actions on himself and is proceeding with care. Health comes above everything and if a game isn’t played and can’t be watched, we’ll take part next year instead if they let us," he added.
Even after dissent from the travelling side from Spain, and requests from Wolves also to postpone their clash against Olympiacos, all has gone unheard from UEFA’s side. Wolves have had to travel to Greece to play against Olympiacos, whose owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has been detected positive for the virus. It has also seen Arsenal's clash against Manchester City postponed as Marinakis was at the Emirates earlier this month and came into contact with a few players.
The most recent of the affected games, and developing on this matter is the Roma versus Sevilla clash. Spanish authorities have denied the Italian side access to land their plane in Spain, which means the tie is sure to get suspended or postponed, depending on what UEFA’s decides in the end. A statement released by Roma went on to say the same and also confirmed that the club won't travel to Seville.
"AS Roma will not travel to Spain for the Europa League match against Sevilla after the plane from Italy was not authorised to land in Spain," read the statement on the club's Twitter page