A statement from the local authorities in Turin explained why they called off the Coppa Italia semi-final Juventus v Milan amid a spike in Coronavirus cases.
The game was meant to kick off in Turin on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT, but the decision to cancel was made with just 24 hours to spare.
Milan had already travelled to their hotel by bus, remained for a couple of hours and then went back home.
A statement from the local authorities in Turin explained why they called off the Coppa Italia semi-final Juventus v Milan amid a spike in Coronavirus cases.
The game was meant to kick off in Turin on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT, but the decision to cancel was made with just 24 hours to spare.
Milan had already travelled to their hotel by bus, remained for a couple of hours and then went back home.
The Lega Serie A had taken on the most recent advice from the Government, which lifted restrictions in Piedmont, therefore allowing any fans who did not come from the most affected areas – Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto.
However, today there was an increase of 248 cases in Italy, rising to 2,263, with 79 deaths representing an increase of 27 from Monday.
A statement from the Turin Prefect confirmed circa 40,000 tickets had been sold for the Coppa Italia game, which would’ve inevitably created large groups of people not just inside the arena, but also waiting to get into the entrances.
Above all, it would’ve been “impossible to identify exactly where they had travelled from, creating consequent risks to public health.”
The suspension of schools in Piedmont was already extended from the originally planned March 3 date to March 8.
This means the decision to cancel the game was not made by the Lega Serie A, but by the regional government in Piedmont.
The Government is also now considering the suspension of all sporting events in Italy for 30 days.
This would likely end up with all the games being played behind closed doors, whether they are in the worst-affected Coronavirus areas or not.