COVID-19 chaos in Italian football as 'suspended' Serie A plays on
[PS from GP: This was quite the afternoon at work. I must have rewritten this piece six times. An Italian colleague in the newsroom couldn’t believe what was going on, or that we were managing - just about - to keep on top of it.]
Italian football's top division descended into administrative chaos on Sunday, with one game delayed by 75 minutes while the sports minister attempted to suspend all fixtures.
The players of Parma and SPAL were lined up in the tunnel of the Stadio Tardini when the referee told them to stay put because the Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora was requesting a suspension of all games in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The match was already set to take place in a near-empty stadium, as the government has decreed that all sporting events until at least 3 April must take place behind closed doors. As confusion reigned, the Parma game was originally delayed for 30 minutes, then for another 15 - before kick-off was finally rearranged for 12.45 GMT, 75 minutes later than scheduled.
Spadafora had released a Facebook statement saying "It makes no sense at this moment, while we ask our citizens for enormous sacrifices to prevent the spread of the contagion, to risk the health of players, referees, coaches, fans who will certainly gather to see games, just to protect the interests that revolve around the sport.
"Other federations have wisely decided to suspend football for the next few days. I think it is the duty of the FIGC [Italian Football Federation] President Gabriele Gravina to reflect again, without waiting for the first case of a Serie A player infected, before taking on this very serious responsibility."
Earlier, the Players' Association President Damiano Tommasi tweeted that he had appealed to the Government and FIGC that "Stopping football is the most useful action for the country at this moment. The teams we should be cheering on are playing in our hospitals and emergency centers."
Chaotic fortnight
The events on Sunday follow a chaotic fortnight in Italy's football administration as it struggles to decide how - or even whether - to continue during the coronavirus outbreak that has caused the country to suffer more than 5,000 positive cases, 233 deaths and 500 intensive care.
Among the games scheduled this afternoon is the clash between Juventus and Internazionale of Milan - two of the world's biggest clubs, currently second and third in the league table, in a match broadcast to more than 200 countries.
Even before Sunday's events that game had already been placed behind closed doors, then postponed at less than 36 hours' notice, then rescheduled. In the course of this, Inter’s Chinese-born chairman Steven Zhang publicly called the Serie A president Paolo dal Pino "a clown," in response to which Dal Pino is reportedly considering a lawsuit.
With the world watching, it remains to be seen what happens next in Serie A - and whether the biggest headlines come from on the pitch or off it.
