Three solutions have been suggested for if the Serie A season cannot continue due to the increasingly worrying coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Italy and in particular northern regions such as Lombardy continue to be hardest hit by the outbreak, with the BBC reporting on Monday that the number of people to have died from the coronavirus in the country has shot up by 133 in a day to 366.
This has led to the official suspension of all sporting activities in Italy – including football from amateur to international level – until at least April 3, though some are already speculating that it could be curtains for the season already.
The president of the Lega Pro Francesco Ghirelli was present at a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the best way to proceed moving forward and possible contingency plans for if the season is called of.
“The will is to complete the Serie A championship,” he told reporters (via MilanLive).
“Obviously if there will be an increase in restrictions and closings, we will have to rethink how and whether to continue. There are three options that we are evaluating.”
According to rumours, the three solutions would be the following…
1. The termination of the Serie A season without the assignment of the Scudetto;
2. Establish a final ranking based on the current standings (therefore Juventus would be champions);
3. Play a ‘Scudetto playoffs’, as happens in other sports, to decide the winner.
The FIGC Council will convene again on March 23 to take a new look at the situation.
