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Serie A awaits Italian government’s green light to resume 2019-20 season

In a notice earlier this month the Italian government had announced that sporting fixtures, including Serie A, would not be allowed before June 14

Serie A awaits Italian government’s green light to resume 2019-20 season

Inter Milan's Argentinian forward Lautaro Martinez (C) and teammmates attend a training session on December 9, 2019 in Appiano Gentile, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group F football match Inter Milan vs Barcelona. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

Serie A awaits a green light from the government on Thursday to resume the 2019-20 season after a suspension of almost three months due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Italy’s Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora will hold a video conference with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina and president of Lega Serie A chief Paolo Dal Pino and other stakeholders.

The Italian football officials are hoping to follow the footsteps of German Bundesliga, which has already restarted the season, and Spanish La Liga which aims to return on June 8.

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The Serie A season has been put on hold since March 9 when Italy began to suffer one of the deadliest outbreaks of the novel coronavirus. The pandemic is believed to have killed more than 33,000 people in the country so far.

Meanwhile, in a notice earlier this month the Italian government had announced that sporting fixtures across the country would not be allowed before June 14. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had echoed the same and said that the Serie A would not violate the government’s guidelines.

However, the Sports Minister then said the footballing season could possibly resume either on June 13 or June 20.

“We are working on two possible dates to begin Serie A games, on June 13 or 20. The protocol arrived for resuming the season and it is very similar to the one that was agreed for training. On Thursday, we’ll decide if and when to resume,” he added. Defending champions Juventus were a point clear of Lazio after 26 games when the league was halted,” Goal.com quoted Spadafora as saying to Rai TG3.

“This emergency has shown some critical issues in the world of football that we will face in a general reform that will happen before the end of the summer,” Spadafora said.”Among those issues, we include allowing women’s football players to become professional athletes,” he added.

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