Italian Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora confirms Serie A could resume ‘on June 13 or 20,’ while there is the possibility of showing games free to air on television.
Italy is already well into Phase Two of the coronavirus pandemic response, with deaths and new cases falling daily for several weeks.
“We are working on two possible dates to begin Serie A games, on June 13 or 20,” Spadafora told Rai TG3.
“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.”
There is a Government decree banning competitive sports until June 14, but that could be adjusted closer to the date if the numbers continue to drop.
There are concerns that playing behind closed doors will see more fans gather in local bars or visit friends with pay-per-view television to watch the matches.
“In Germany, Sky reached an agreement to show a sort of live highlights programme as the goals go in and that is free to air, so we certainly ought to consider something like that in Italy to avoid fans assembling in bars.”
To accommodate playing in the summer, Serie A is reportedly looking at scrapping afternoon kick-offs as this would be too hot in the height of an Italian summer. Games will therefore only be scheduled for the evening, when the sun has gone down.
