Coronavirus causes Serie A to postpone games: live sports updates

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— Five Serie A games were postponed on Saturday, including league leaders Juventus’ home game against Inter Milan in Turin, in an attempt to contain the spread of a virus outbreak. The games were originally due to be played behind closed doors, but the decision to call them off was taken by the league as part of an urgent attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus.

— Bayern Munich have announced that as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, their players have been instructed not to sign autographs or pose for selfies with fans. This is a temporary  measure. The club said they were in regular contact with the City of Munich’s health department and the Robert Koch Institute, the German federal government agency responsible for disease control and prevention.

— Denmark’s Michael Morkov has been instructed not to leave his Berlin hotel room while he awaits a test for the coronavirus after traveling there for the track cycling world championships from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 34-year-old left for the German capital on Thursday, before the UAE Tour was canceled due to two Italian participants showing symptoms of the virus. All other riders and staff have since been confined to the Tour hotel.

Morkov had been scheduled to compete in Berlin this weekend. The UAE Tour was scrapped after five stages and ahead of its scheduled conclusion on Sunday.

— The Swiss Football League has announced that it has canceled all first and second-division games for the coming weekend due to the coronavirus outbreak. This followed a government order that all events with more than 1,000 participants be put off until March 15 at the earliest.

— Bundesliga club RB Leipzig have instructed players and staff to avoid shaking hands, which is the customary greeting in Germany. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann told a press conference ahead of Leipzig’s match against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday that it was part of the club’s policy meant to prevent the spread of viruses.

“There is a ban on shaking hands; we greet each other with elbows,” he said. Leipzig have also imposed a travel stop on all scouts, staff and players apart from match travel.

— English Premier League club Newcastle United have also introduced a handshake ban to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

“There’s a ritual here that everybody shakes hands with everybody as soon as we see each other every morning — we’ve stopped that on the advice of the doctor,” Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said at a press conference ahead of their match against Burnley on Saturday.

— German professional sports leagues have been monitoring the situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak and are in contact with the relevant authorities. 

— The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it is “fully committed” to holding the 2020 Games in Tokyo as planned despite the widening new coronavirus outbreak.     

IOC President Thomas Bach told Japanese media in a conference call late on Thursday that the IOC “is fully committed to a successful Olympic Games in Tokyo starting July 24.”

This came as the viral outbreak across Japan and dozens of other countries has fueled concerns about the Summer Games, with a swathe of other sports events, mainly in Asia, postponed or canceled.

The Ireland-Italy Six Nations match on March 7 in Dublin was postponed on Wednesday following an outbreak of the virus in northern Italy.

Several Serie A matches in northern Italy are to be played behind closed doors due to the outbreak.

In the Europa League, Inter Milan beat Ludogorets 2-1 (4-1) at an empty San Siro, with the game played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak in the region.
 

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-causes-serie-a-to-postpone-games-live-sports-updates/a-52569936?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom