As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, Italian soccer has become the latest sporting event to feel the heat. Five matches in the Italian first division, Serie A, have officially been postponed from this weekend due to disease’s rapid spread. This includes the high-profile match between Juventus and Inter, currently second and third in the league, which was set to take place in Turin on Sunday.
Other matches that were moved from this weekend include ones hosted by Udinese, AC Milan, Parma, and Sassuolo. The postponements follow a similar pattern to those last week, when four matches were suspended in the top flight, along with one second division match between Cremonese and Ascoli.
This is also not the first Inter match to be affected by coronavirus, as their Europa League showdown with Ludogorets on Thursday was played behind closed doors; the original plan for Juventus-Inter was for the same treatment before it was announced on Saturday that it would actually be postponed until May.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not confident that the coronavirus won’t affect matches further, saying that next month’s international fixtures could also be suspended:
People’s health is much more important than any game. I wouldn’t exclude anything at this moment. That’s why we have to look at the situation and hope that it will decrease rather than increase. At the moment it looks like it is still increasing. If games have to be postponed or played without spectators until it is over, then we have to go through that.
One thing seems clear: this weekend’s Serie A postponements will likely not be the last top soccer matches affected as coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, and especially throughout Europe.
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