This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
Italian Football League Resumes Amid COVID-19 Concerns ¶
After a three-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian football league is set to resume this weekend, with Juventus facing a stiff test to maintain their Serie A supremacy.
As of April, the situation in Italy was dire, with daily coronavirus deaths in the hundreds and over 35,000 victims. However, with strict health protocols in place and all matches being played behind closed doors, the situation has improved.
Four postponed games will take place first this weekend, involving teams at the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak. Atalanta host Sassuolo in Bergamo, Inter Milan are at home against Sampdoria, 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 coach Maurizio Sarri has expressed concerns about his team's performance, citing a lack of brilliance from key players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. The team has also been hit by injuries, with Brazilian defender Alex Sandro and Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain not yet at full fitness.
Lazio, on the other hand, is in-form, with Ciro Immobile having scored 27 goals this season, six more than Ronaldo. The top two teams will meet in Turin on July 20.
Inter Milan is third, nine points behind Juventus, and Atalanta occupies the final Champions League berth, three points ahead of Roma.
As the championship resumes, the question remains of what happens in the case of another suspension. Plan B provides for play-offs, with the format 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 has expressed concerns about the complexity of the algorithm, saying, 'This is madness. We are at the 'Normale' of Pisa.'
However, the Italian government has agreed to ease quarantine restrictions, clearing up one sticking point.
