Football news - Valencia and Inter Milan to host European fixtures behind closed doors
ByReuters
Published 05/03/2020 at 18:20 GMT
Atalanta have confirmed that their Champions League match at Valencia on Tuesday will be played in an empty stadium because of the coronavirus and an order from the Spanish Health Ministry.
A man runs in front of one of the closed gates of the San Siro Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Milan, Italy. Tonight match between Inter and Ludogorets for the Europa League is taking place behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak affecting
Image credit: Getty Images
Atalanta, based in the northern Italian city of Bergamo, said they had received a letter from UEFA, European soccer's ruling body, saying that "the match can go ahead but must be behind closed doors with no ticket holders".
The club said all their fans who had bought tickets for the match, the second leg of the round of 16 tie, will be reimbursed. Atalanta, playing in the Champions League for the first time, lead 4-1 from the first leg.
Spain's health ministry on Tuesday said that fixtures expected to draw crowds from zones designated as high-risk for coronavirus, such as northern Italy, would be played without spectators.
UEFA confirmed the decision, adding that the Europa League match between Inter Milan and Spanish side Getafe, at Milan's San Siro stadium on March 12, would also be played without spectators.
Italy has said that all games and sports events in the country can only go ahead without fans until April 3 in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement