[Sports] Italy Serie A uproar: four teams could lose points to Covid-19 outbreaks

[Inkriql]

 

While the cases of Covid-19 continue to increase throughout Europe, the world of football is already feeling the consequences in its matches, with outbreaks in multiple campuses that force the matches not to take place as planned.

This is more than evident in the Italian Serie A, where of the ten matches of the date 20 Bologna-Inter and Atalanta-Torino are suspended, while Salernitana-Venezia and Fiorentina-Udinese are also ready to be canceled, due to a large number of cases among footballers.

 

However, unlike other leagues that agreed to reschedule matches interrupted for these reasons, Serie A determined that teams that do not present a minimum of 13 available players will lose the points automatically, so that Bologna, Torino, Salernitana, and Udinese they would fall 3-0. The situation is aggravated because, in the case of the last three, it was the same local health authorities that prevented their teams from showing up to play, so that the reasons for their absence exceeded the teams themselves.

 

On the other hand, there is a very recent precedent that can play in favor of the affected clubs. In October 2020, days before its team was due to face Juventus, Napoli registered 19 cases of Covid-19 on its squad, for which the South team demanded the suspension of the league match. However, and despite the fact that the health authorities prevented the team from traveling to Turin, the request was rejected, and as a consequence the game was considered lost, accompanied by the removal of a point in the standings.

Still, Napoli's leaders submitted an appeal to the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), which finally proved them right in January, forcing Serie A to return the point it had taken away. In addition, a new date was agreed for the match, which ended on April 7 with a 2-1 victory for Vecchia Signora.

 

https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/futbol/revuelo-en-la-serie-a-de-italia-cuatro-equipos-podrian-perder-puntos-por-brotes-de-covid-19-nid06012022/