Italy suspends Serie A football games over coronavirus fears

Italy’s top football league has postponed three matches scheduled for Sunday in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto after the deaths of two people infected with the coronavirus.

On orders from the Italian government, the Serie A games between Inter Milan and Sampdoria, Atalanta and Sassuolo as well as Hellas Verona and Cagliari were called off.

Three other matches in Genoa, Turin and Rome on Sunday were due to go ahead as scheduled.

A dozen towns in northern Italy effectively went into lockdown on Saturday after the deaths of two people infected with the coronavirus and a growing cluster of cases with no direct links to the origin of the outbreak abroad.

“The government is working on urgent measures to decisively confront and contain the cases of coronavirus contagion,” read a letter from Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora to Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago shortly before midnight local time on Saturday.

“Following measures taken by the cabinet for protective reasons and maximum precaution, on orders of the government, I am asking you to suspend all sports events of every level and discipline planned for the Lombardy and Veneto regions on Sunday,” the letter said.

Already on Saturday, the Ascoli-Cremonese game in Serie B was postponed, as well as Piacenza-Sambenedettese in Serie C. Four Serie C games scheduled for Sunday has also been postponed.

On Thursday, Inter is also slated to host Ludogrets in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 32.

“It’s obvious that gatherings at sports events are among the events where the most difficulties could occur,” Spadafora said earlier Saturday in Rome at the Six Nations rugby game between Italy and Scotland, which was attended by 55,000 fans.

Sports events across China and Asia have also been suspended amid fears that the Tokyo Olympics, due to open in five months, could also be affected.