Italian sports minister sets date aim for resuming Serie A after coronavirus postponement

All major European leagues, aside from Turkey’s top flight, are suspended due to the spread of coronavirus

The Italian sports minister has suggested that the country is aiming to resume top-flight football in May.

At present, most leagues have a date of around April 4 to restart action, though that is likely to be pushed back once more with the coronavirus outbreak continuing to spread.

Vincenzo Spadafora spoke on national television to explain the updated plan, which would include a late decision on whether or not fans would be invited in, depending on the situation at the time.

“I believe that Serie A can return on May 3,” he said. “Then we will evaluate whether it’s played behind closed doors, or open to the public.

“This formula will then be added to international competitions, like the Champions League and Europa League.”

Spadafora also confirmed that clubs will be exempt from having to make payments to the government for the coming period, to ease the worries of cashflow after matches were postponed.

“We have suspended all tax obligations until May 30 for all sports federations and for all other sports activities.

“We have suspended the rents of all state-owned structures and we have provided a one-off payment of €600 for tens of thousands of sports collaborators all around Italy and who work in small Italian companies.”

Teams have either 12 or 13 fixtures left to play in Serie A for the 2019/20 season.

Juventus and Lazio lead the charge for the title, while Brescia and SPAL are adrift at the bottom, with a five-team fight above them to avoid the final relegation spot.