A quiet return for football in Italy
TURIN: Football finally resumed in Italy in a surreal atmosphere as Juventus drew with 10-man AC Milan 0-0 to reach the Italian Cup final on the away goals rule. The first leg finished 1-1 in Milan before the pandemic forced the season to be suspended on March 9. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty and Juventus dominated, although quality was clearly lacking in both teams following the lengthy hiatus.
Exactly 100 days after they were meant to play, the teams took to the field in Turin. Just as for every previous home game, the Allianz Stadium announcer introduced the home team with a booming “Ladies and gentlemen ... Juventus Football Club.” Only, this time, there was a resounding silence. The Juventus anthem which is normally sung enthusiastically by 40,000 fans holding their scarves above their heads was played loudly over the tannoy, but also greeted by silence.
Juventus and Milan walked out separately into the eerie setting and, somewhat ironically, held a minute’s silence for the more than 34,000 known people who have died from Covid-19 in Italy. That was immediately followed by applause for healthcare workers. There was also a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement: Milan’s warmup jerseys bore the words and Juventus wore ones with the words “No racism.” New rules limit the maximum number of people in stadiums to 300, including the teams, officials and media.
The absence of fans meant the players’ voices could clearly be heard and they echoed inside the stadium, as did the applause and jeers from the team benches, most noticeably for the penalty incident in the 15th minute.
The penalty was awarded on video review for a handball by Andrea Conti. But cheers from the Juventus bench turned to groans as Ronaldo fired the spot kick onto the base of the left post.
AGAINST RACISM
English Premier League jerseys will feature “Black Lives Matter” instead of player names for the first 12 games when it resumes on Wednesday. The League also announced it would support players taking a knee at matches — an anti-racism gesture already seen at training grounds.