From the Juve-Napoli telenovela to Lazio-Toro, all replayed

UDINE

Yesterday’s surreal situation for the Udinese-Salernitana match is not unprecedented for the Italian Serie A championship. The illustrious precedent dates back to 4 October 2020, on the occasion of Juventus-Naples, the third day of the 2020-’21 tournament. On the eve of the match, the Neapolitan company has two positive players in the squad (the former Udinese Zielinski and Elmas) and the ASL 2 of Naples has isolation for the blue team. Juventus are not there, they abide by the FIGC protocol and at 20.45 on Sunday evening they regularly enter the field of the Allianz Stadium, where there is also the referee trio. We await the 45 ‘required by the regulation, then all that remains is to note the absence of the visiting team and return to the locker room.

Ten days later, here is the sentence of the sports judge: 3-0 at the table for Juventus and a penalty point in the standings for Napoli. The company of president De Laurentiis does not stand by and initiates the appeals. The one forwarded to the FIGC Court of Appeal was rejected on November 30, 2020 with a harsh motivation: “In the days preceding the match, Napoli oriented their conduct in order not to play”. The wind begins to change on December 9, 2020, when Napoli’s appeal to the Coni Guarantee College is accepted. The judgment day is set for 22 December 2020: the Neapolitan company wins the appeal, the Coni Guarantee Board recognizes the legitimacy of the notes issued by the ASL on 3 October, cancels the 3-0 at the table and returns the point of penalty against Napoli.

The game, after so many stamps, is played on April 7, 2021, six months after the original date. Juventus won 2-1 and a month later mocked Napoli in the Champions League sprint by just one point.

In the same 2020-’21 championship there is another precedent. It is Lazio-Turin on March 2, 2021, with the grenade blocked by the ASL due to Covid cases (the English variant was at the time) and unable to reach the Olimpico. Biancocelesti on the field at 6 pm, in compliance with the FIGC protocol, waiting for 45 ‘, then everyone in the shower. In the following days the Lazio appeal starts, rejected on March 12 by the sports judge and on March 30 by the FIGC Court of Appeal: Lazio-Turin is replayed on May 18 and ends 0-0. The Juventus-Napoli case has made jurisprudence, the measures of the ASL have precedence over the federal protocol. –