Italian government lights green light for Serie A club training
Napoli, in suspension of Serie A due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the sixth team of the Italian Championship, received the green light on Saturday to continue training. Former Slovenian national team player Valter Birse and Roman giants Roma and Lazio also received the green light.
Regional authorities have allowed Napoli to return football players to the field on Monday, according to French news agency AFP. The province of Campania, home to the Napoli club, said in a press release that “the decision on the green light for football has already been communicated to the Italian government”.
Campania is the second province in Italy to allow its Serie A clubs to return to training under otherwise strict health measures. Earlier, a similar decision was made by the province of Emilia-Romagna, which lit the green light for Bologni, Parma, Spal and Sassuolo clubs on Friday. Other Italian provinces are expected to follow shortly as Italy prepares to launch measures on Monday for the covid-19 pandemic.
The government has already turned on the green light
On Friday, the Serie A management, together with the clubs, unanimously decided to try to continue the season, which has been interrupted since March 9. Napoli, together with Juventus, are still waiting for the return game of the eighth finals of the Champions League, at first the blue-blue in front of their fans were remarried with Barcelona (1: 1).
The Italian government on Sunday reviewed the options and, after approval by a scientific working group, allowed football teams to train before the first scheduled date, May 18. Many Serie A clubs have already been licensed for individual training by regional governments. Sport Minister Vincenzo Spadafora received a confirmation from the scientific working group that he would allow football camps to reopen as early as May 4, two weeks before the announcement of loosening measures by the Italian government. Following pressure from the regions and, in particular, football clubs, it has issued a decree on the return of team athletes to individual training, Italian media reported. The provisional ordinance will remain in force until May 17, which, following the analysis of the infection data, will be followed by either an additional release or a tightening of measures in the fight against covid-19. Spadafor has already sent the decision to all regions in an electronic letter. On Saturday, Spadafor asked the task force to “look into the possibility that guidelines that allow teams in individual sports to practice on Mondays also apply to team sports.”
New rules allowing recreational athletes to run in the park have sparked protests from football clubs. The regional authorities of the provinces of Campania and Emilia-Romagna have previously turned the green light on their home clubs, as is the case in Sardinia, Cagliari, played by former Slovenian national team Walter Birsa. The province of Lazio, however, has allowed training sessions for Lazio and Roma, who start training in the middle of the week. At Serie A, where 16 footballers have suffered a new coronavirus, they hope to be able to complete the remaining 12 rounds of this year’s championship in June.
