This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
Italian Football Returns Amid COVID-19 Pandemic ¶
June 19, 2020 - Italian football resumed on Saturday, June 20, after a three-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Italian league, Serie A, had been suspended since March 9, with the country counting its daily coronavirus deaths in the hundreds.
However, the situation has improved, and strict health protocols are in place. All matches will be played behind closed doors, with four postponed games taking place first. Atalanta host Sassuolo in Bergamo on Sunday, while Inter Milan are at home against Sampdoria.
On Saturday, Torino host Parma and Cagliari travel to Hellas Verona. Next week, all teams will have 12 games left to play, with Juventus at Bologna on Monday and Lazio travelling to Atalanta on Wednesday.
Juventus's coach, Maurizio Sarri, expressed his concerns about the team's performance, citing the lack of brilliance from their top players, including Cristiano Ronaldo. The team has also been affected by injuries, with Brazilian defender Alex Sandro and Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain not yet at full fitness.
Despite these challenges, Juventus will be counting on Ronaldo to react after suffering two defeats in a final for the first time in his career. Lazio's Ciro Immobile has scored 27 goals this season, six more than Ronaldo, as the in-form Romans target their third Scudetto and first in two decades.
The top two teams will meet in Turin on July 20. Inter Milan are third, nine points behind Juventus, and will be looking to close the gap. Atalanta occupy the final Champions League berth, three points ahead of Roma, with Napoli sixth a further six points back.
While the championship resumes, the question remains of what happens in the case of another suspension. Plan B provides for play-offs, the format of which remains to be defined. A final decision could open the way to use a complicated algorithm devised by the federation to establish the final ranking.
Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina described the situation as 'madness.' However, the Italian government has agreed to ease quarantine restrictions in the case of a positive test, with only the infected person isolated. The squad and staff will be closely monitored, and a quick test performed on the whole team on match day.
Fixtures
Saturday
Torino v Parma (8:30pm), Verona v Cagliari (10:45pm)
Sunday
Atalanta v Sassuolo (8:30pm), Inter Milan v Sampdoria (10:45pm)
Monday
Lecce v AC Milan (1730), Fiorentina v Brescia (1730), Bologna v Juventus (1945)
Wednesday
Inter Milan v Sassuolo (8:30pm), Atalanta v Lazio (10:45pm), Rome v Sampdoria (10:45pm)
