Covid, Serie A “listens” to Draghi The reduced capacity to 5 thousand seats

Restrictions in stadiums for two rounds starting from the next. The Super Cup node Decision of the League to avoid games behind closed doors or stop the championship

MILANO

Serie A does not understand, but adapts to the pressure of the government to drastically reduce the capacity in the stadiums. Prime Minister Mario Draghi began to press the football authorities again at the end of the club assembly on Friday which had rejected the request to drop to 5 thousand spectators, compared to the current capacity of 50%. So a new remote assembly was set that yesterday afternoon unanimously approved the threshold of 5 thousand fans (from which guests are excluded) from January 15 to February 5: the next two days of the championship and four round of 16 of the Italian Cup. With the hope of returning to 50% in the first weekend of February after the national team break.

Presidents bowed to fears that the government tomorrow or Tuesday would reintroduce closed doors or even stop the championship. The clubs are convinced that they have suffered an action of pure demagogy, with football being misused by politics to send a signal to the country in a phase of out-of-control infections. There are many contradictions reported.

For over a month, only vaccinated people have entered the stands; the positives exploded in the Christmas holidays when the championship was stopped; Indoor cinemas and theaters remain open to the maximum. Not to mention that not everyone blocks the gates abroad: in England the capacity is 100%, in Spain 75%. Also yesterday it was the president of Genoa, Alberto Zangrillo, who spoke out about the doubts of the clubs. The San Raffaele head physician highlighted that Omicron increases infections, but thanks to vaccines it creates hospitalization problems for very small sections of the population. Serie A underlines “the unequal treatment compared to other sectors”, referring to the world of entertainment.

5 thousand entries were saved thanks to a compromise, suggested by Milan president Paolo Scaroni, to guarantee access for sponsors while maintaining commercial revenues. With another incongruity: the 5 thousand quota is valid in every plant, even in the smallest ones where this threshold is identical if not even higher than the capacity of 50%. But the government is especially interested in exhibiting the large semi-empty stadiums.

This is why the Super Cup between Inter and Juve, scheduled for Wednesday at San Siro, is worrying. At the moment 50% is confirmed. But there is some concern about the executive’s moves in the next 48 hours. The Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, could ask to immediately apply the 5000 quota. Lega Serie A hopes to avoid this scissoring, as we understand from the note in which it is said that the limit can be applied from the 3rd day of return, without affecting the tickets already sold for the Supercoppa and first knockout rounds of the Italian Cup on the draw from Tuesday to Thursday.

The president Paolo Dal Pino and the CEO Luigi De Siervo welcomed with satisfaction the rulings of the TARs of Piedmont, Campania and Friuli Venezia Giulia against the ASL that had blocked Turin, Salernitana and Udinese, regularly in the field between today and tomorrow against Fiorentina, Verona and Atalanta.

Only defeat in front of the TAR of Emilia Romagna. This is why Bologna will play in Cagliari on Tuesday. The sports judge did not decree defeats at the table, keeping the matches postponed to the Epiphany sub judice to allow for the recoveries to be fixed at the earliest possible date. Who knows with what capacity. –