Playing soccer matches in the long term without fans is unsustainable, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday as the spread of COVID-19 causes havoc with sporting events.
For the second successive weekend, some matches in Italy — including one between title rivals Juventus and Inter — are to be played in empty stadiums in a bid to stop the virus from spreading.
“I don’t think it is sustainable in the long term to play behind closed doors,” Infantino said ahead of a meeting of soccer’s lawmakers in Northern Ireland. “It can be a solution [to play without fans] to move on, but you cannot imagine a few months of a competition being played, several matches being played, behind closed doors.”
The next set of international men’s fixtures are this month, including Italy playing a friendly in England.
“I wouldn’t exclude anything at this moment,” Infantino said when asked if this month’s international games can be played. “We cannot underestimate and say it’s nothing, but we don’t have to overreact and panic. We have to follow the instructions given by the authorities.”
English Premier League clubs are wary of the virus.
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce on Friday said his players are no longer greeting each other with handshakes, under medical advice.
Journalists heading to Arsenal for a pre-match news conference with manager Mikel Arteta yesterday were told to complete a questionnaire about their recent whereabouts before attending.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his club was acting like it would if there was an outbreak of flu.
“We take it really seriously but we cannot avoid everything,” Klopp said. “In the end, nobody tells us that we cannot play football, so as long as that doesn’t happen, we will play football.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was not getting too hung up on the virus.
“We are shaking hands [and] I love to hug,” Guardiola said, when asked if his club was taking any special precautions. “Not like Juergen [Klopp], he is a master of that — but I try.”
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