Panic has gripped football fans and players in Italy as more than 40 weekend matches were called off on Saturday, February 22, over Coronavirus fears.
According to reports from Football Italia, a string of matches including several from the Italian Serie B have been called off.
The anticipated match between Ascoli and Cremonese was also among those which were cancelled as local authorities cite "safety concerns" as the reason behind the cancellation.
Further reports indicate at least 41 other amateur, youth, semi-pro and Serie D matches suffered the same fate.
Another Serie B match - Pisa and Venezia is also believed to be at risk of cancellation.
The latest development comes at the back of terrifying news involving an amateur footballer who was admitted to a hospital with symptoms of the dreaded virus.
The footballer plays for Codogno, which is about 400 miles from Ascoli and his father says he has been admitted although he is not necessarily in life-threatening condition.
"He was already not well, but he was not in intensive care, he was in the war," the 38-year old footballer's dad was quoted by fanpage.it.
Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago also spoke on the match-abandonment where he insisted where there was risk of the virus, a game could not take place.
"If there are competitions where there are confirmed cases, then sport cannot take place there," he said.
Football is not the only affected discipline as several basketball and volleyball tournaments in Italy have also been abandoned.
Comments