Minutes before Serie A games were due to resume in empty stadiums on Sunday, Italy’s sports minister said that the country’s football federation should consider suspending the games.
Vincenzo Spadafora, the minister, said he supported a call from Italian soccer players’ association president Damiano Tommasi to avoid putting players at risk amid the virus outbreak.
“I think (federation president Gabriele) Gravina should have some additional consideration without waiting for the first case of contagion, before assuming this serious responsibility,” Spadafora said.
Five Serie A matches were scheduled for Sunday, beginning with Parma vs. Spal at 12:30 local time (1130 GMT) and concluding with Juventus vs. Inter Milan at 8:45 p.m. (1945 GMT).
Parma and Spal players were ready to enter the field at Ennio Tardini stadium in Parma when they received the news. The players then turned around and returned to their changing rooms.
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