Players’ union wants football to stop

THE President of Italy’s players’ union (AIC) has called for football to be stopped in the country amid reports that the entire region of Lombardy will be locked down as part of efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

The Italian government has ordered all sporting competitions to be played behind closed doors until April 3 in a bid to control the spread of the disease, which has killed around 200 people in the country.

And tough new measures were approved on Saturday that will tell people not to enter or leave Lombardy, home to around 10 million people, as well as 11 provinces in four other regions.

Damiano Tommasi, head of the players’ union, responded to the news on Twitter by posting a link to the story and issuing a plea to stop games from going ahead.

He wrote: “Let’s stop the league!! Do we need anything else? Stop football!!”

Tommasi also issued a statement on the AIC website earlier in the day outlining his concerns for players’ welfare.

“There is a risk for players and we must take all precautions for the security of those who play: on the pitch you certainly can’t stay at a distance of one metre away.

“But every measure must be taken to guarantee the safety of everyone at the stadium, including staff and personnel, to reduce the risks.

“There are those among the players who are happy to continue, others who express their concerns.

“There are many foreign players too and it’s obvious their families will be worried watching what’s happening in Italy.”

Earlier on Saturday, President of the Italian Football Federation Gabriele Gravina refused to rule out the suspension of Serie A if a player tests positive for the coronavirus.

“We have to be realistic, the real risk exists and, in those circumstances, we would take all necessary measures to guarantee the protection of our athletes.”