Since this weekend, northern Italy has been severely affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Eleven cities in Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto are in near containment, more than 150 cases have been detected and a fifth death was confirmed Monday morning. Approaching the knockout stages of the Champions League this week, some clubs remain on their guard, this is particularly the case for FC Naples. If the city of Naples and the south of the country are not affected by the epidemic, the players of FC Barcelona, who will play on the lawn of the Neapolitans on Tuesday, will be subject to examinations to enter Italian territory, according to information from the ESPN channel. Indeed, the temperature of Antoine Griezmann and his teammates will be checked upon their arrival in Naples and if it were to increase during their short stay, it would send the player concerned directly to the hospital as a precaution.
Barcelona players will be tested for coronavirus ahead of their Champions League match in Naples. pic.twitter.com/iVCdKyhy8V
- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 23, 2020While Olympique Lyonnais is preparing to receive Juventus, Wednesday in the round of 16 first leg of the C1, Jean-Michel Aulas, president of the Rhone club, was vigilant Sunday as thousands of Turin supporters are expected in Lyon . "We started asking questions to UEFA and the quai d'Orsay (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), we were told not to panic and that we would take stock tomorrow (Monday) so there is no there are no restrictions at the moment, ”he told L'Equipe . In the Piedmont region, of which Turin is the capital, several people were likely to be affected by the coronavirus before being declared healthy, but a few are still under observation. According to the French sports daily, Juventus has not yet communicated about the management of the supporters who will travel to Lyon on Wednesday, but UEFA explained that it was "closely monitoring the situation and being in contact with the clubs and responsible authorities ”.
This weekend four Serie A games have been postponed due to the epidemic. Football, volleyball, basketball, rugby, tennis, all sports are affected and events canceled, such as the match of the Six Nations Women's Tournament between Italy and Scotland or the final of the Challenger Bergamo tournament, where the tennis player French Enzo Couacaud had to face the Ukrainian Illya Marchenko. In cycling, some Italian races are threatened by the coronavirus. Milan-San Remo, scheduled for March 21, could be canceled, as race director Mauro Vegni confirms: “We are very concerned about the spread of the epidemic. And the situation in Italy is complicated today. (…) If the government were to close Milan airport, we will have to cancel the Primavera. ” The Tirreno-Adriatico which is to be held from March 11 to 17, is also threatened.
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