This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
Italian authorities have given the green light for football players to return to training facilities, with Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey becoming the first player to return to individual training at the team's sports centre in Turin on Tuesday.
However, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has been forced to quarantine for two weeks after returning to Italy on Monday night, having spent almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal.
As the 2019-20 season hangs in the balance, Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, and are targeting a ninth consecutive Scudetto.
Italy's interior ministry has given the go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule, offering a glimmer of hope that the season might yet be saved.
But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora has warned that training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles a pandemic which has killed over 29,000.
"A realistic prediction can be made in mid-May," Spadafora said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, denying that he wanted to call a halt to the season.
"It would be surreal for a sports minister to demonise football," he said.
"Between ordinary and extraordinary resources, we will invest about one billion euros for the sector as a whole," Spadafora added.
