Italy plans to end season in shut stadiums

SERIE A matches in Italy could be played behind closed doors until next year in plans which will be studied by the Premier League.

The Italian FA wants to test all players for Covid-19 at the start of next month to prepare for a restart of the season, possibly from May 31, and finish in August.

Italy has been the hardest-hit country in Europe with more than 20,000 deaths but strict lockdown rules, which started over a fortnight before the UK, will be relaxed for some businesses today. However, a leaked document from the Italian government reveals that matches will be played in empty stadiums to ensure continued social distancing.

And one of the options is to continue to also start next season under the same conditions to ensure there is no return of the coronavirus next winter.

Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina (top left) said: “As soon as the conditions are right, we’ll finish the championship.

“Soon, there will be a meeting, we will establish the procedure which we will then communicate. We will start, I hope, at the beginning of May with tests to ensure that players are negative and the training can follow.

“Will we play through the summer? We don’t have a deadline, but the idea is to finish the championships.”

Ex-Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri (top right), who is now the coach at Sampdoria, said: “For me it will always be a distorted championship because the season has been disrupted. But it is right to decide the winners and the teams to be relegated on the field.”