Italy Looking To Make Changes To Medical Protocol In Serie A

With numbers of new cases of COVID-19 slowly easing in Italy, the country’s football association (FIGC) is looking into ways of ensuring the safety of players once the sport is given the go-ahead to resume. 

All sides have played either 25 or 26 matches in the current campaign, meaning there are between 12 and 13 games remaining in order to complete the 2019/20 season. If any fixtures are to take place, it goes without saying that fans will not be allowed to attend, but those who would need to be present at the stadium would need to be protected.

The tentative hypothesis is that players may be able to return to training at the beginning of May, with matches to resume in early June. Many players are due to be out of contract around this time, however FIFA has already stated that they are looking into ways to extend these deals until the conclusion of the delayed domestic seasons and shift the transfer windows accordingly.

The FIGC has declared that clubs would need to conduct training sessions with players in separate groups, as rigorous testing would indicate which of those who have already developed an immunity to the virus and which remain susceptible. 

“If and when we get the green light to gradually resume the sport, the world of football must be ready,” revealed President Gabriele Gravina in a statement. “That is the aim of our medical commission. Considering the role that football plays in Italian society, I am convinced that we can give an important contribution to the whole country.”

His words reveal a desire to resume the sport to help to raise morale in this football-obsessed country where sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport ranks in the top three of newspapers sold in the country. Italy has been on lockdown since March 9, and there is no sign yet of the restrictions placed on the general public being lifted. 

Yet there are many considerations to be made before any balls are kicked in Serie A, with the use of VAR also under discussion. Under the usual setup, the VAR team would all be in extremely close contact in a tiny room, a situation that is unthinkable with the current risks of transmitting the virus.

The Italian referees’ association (AIA) have confirmed that matches could go ahead without VAR, but admit there is a long way to go before the games can take place. 

“While there are still 600 people dying per day, we cannot talk about sport,” admitted AIA chief Marcello Nicchi. “I hope that after all this, people can realise the beauty of sport, how much we missed it and why we need to be kind to each other. If we return and there’s still violence or racism in the stands, that’d chill me to the bone.

“We must all make sacrifices, so if football resumes without VAR, we’ll deal with it. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t care less.”