It’s confirmed. The Champions League second leg between Barcelona versus Napoli has been ordered to be played without an audience, as stated by the regional Catalonia government.Â
In order to avoid the spread of coronavirus, Gerard Figueras, the secretary general of sport for the Generalitat de Catalunya, has ordered for the clash to be met without any fans present – an empty stadium at Camp Nou.
Speaking to RAC1, Figueras said: “The prudent course I would recommend is for the game to be played behind closed doors.
“The decision is not yet made. Between today and tomorrow, there will be meetings between different government departments and the club.”
“We talked this morning,” he said. “We’re trying to arrange the meeting between today and tomorrow, most likely tomorrow.”
Barcelona has been reportedly kept updated with all decisions regarding the Napoli clash.Â
For Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Borussia Dortmund, this has already been put into use and for good reason.
The Covid-19 is spreading throughout Europe and fast. Italy is so far the worst affected country in Europe, with over 9172 confirmed cases and 463 deaths so far – the stats having gone up in just a day! Millions are under lockdown as the entire nation is in quarantine, according to live reports.
Serie A has now been cancelled till April 3rd, about a month due to the coronavirus outbreak. Up till now, Serie A matches were being played in empty stadiums, but even that isn’t enough.Â
The virus is also spreading across Spain now, with over 1230 confirmed cases now and 30 deaths.Â
No wonder the Barcelona v Napoli clash will be played behind closed doors now. Soon, Champions League might even get cancelled – and it’s extremely possible at this point.Â
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