One of the top Serie A fixtures of the season descended into chaos on Sunday when Napoli failed to turn up for their match at Juventus after their local health authority told the players to stay at home following positive COVID-19 cases. With the Serie A league refusing to call the game off, Juventus arrived at the Allianz stadium in Turin in their team bus one hour before the scheduled kickoff time while Italian media reported no sign of Napoli.
Earlier, the Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said “It has already been decided that Juve-Napoli will not be played”. “We talk too much about football, I say this with respect for a component of the country’s economy – Speranza specified.
The important things at the moment, however, are other: it is the work of hospitals and health professionals and attention to our schools. which are a fundamental starting point for the country.
A little less football and a little more school “, he said.
A Napoli spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the team had been placed into isolation by the health authority (ASL) after two players tested positive in the last four days. He said they would challenge any decision to forfeit the game.
An official from the Naples ASL confirmed in a television interview that the Napoli players had been ordered to stay at home.
“We’ve never expressly said they can’t play but it’s clear that is a consequence,” he said.
Earlier, Serie A said the ASL had failed to take into account the health protocol agreed between the country’s health and sports ministry and the football authorities.
This states that, if players test positive, the rest of the squad can still train and play again providing they are tested again and return negative results. The statement added that several matches had been played this season after teams had one or more players test positive.
“The protocol lays down certain rules that cannot be deviated from, which allow league matches to be played even in the event of a positive result, deploying players who have tested negative,” it said.
A Napoli spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the team had been placed into isolation by the health authority (ASL) after two players tested positive in the last four days. He said they would challenge any decision to forfeit the game.
An official from the Naples ASL confirmed in a television interview that the Napoli players had been ordered to stay at home.
“We’ve never expressly said they can’t play but it’s clear that is a consequence,” he said.
Earlier, Serie A said the ASL had failed to take into account the health protocol agreed between the country’s health and sports ministry and the football authorities.
This states that, if players test positive, the rest of the squad can still train and play again providing they are tested again and return negative results. The statement added that several matches had been played this season after teams had one or more players test positive.
“The protocol lays down certain rules that cannot be deviated from, which allow league matches to be played even in the event of a positive result, deploying players who have tested negative,” it said.
