Salernitana will not show up for today’s match against Udinese. The Granata have suspended all team activities and have been prohibited from traveling due to an ongoing COVID outbreak. There are three positive cases within the club, reportedly two players and one staff member.
There is fear the infections could increase over the next few hours. On the other hand, the League has yet to postpone the game with a few hours to go. It could be a repeat of last year’s Juventus-Napoli. The Azzurri did not reach Turin and initially forfeited the match. However, they eventually won an appeal and the tilt took place at a later date. The rules are regional in these instances, and Naples and Salerno are both in Campania.
The local health official motivated the measure saying that Salernitana did not strictly follow the protocols ahead of the Udinese game. They recently had a Christmas dinner, which could escalate things. While COVID is ravaging the Premier League, it is the first instance it has significantly affected a Serie A fixture this season.
The League might decide against a postponement to avoid doing so too many times in the future, Sky Sport reports. The Coronavirus cases are spiking again in Italy, as in most countries, and the next two months will be challenging in that regard. There has also been talk of reducing the capacity of stadiums. After Ciro Immobile, another star tested positive: Napoli announced that Lorenzo Insigne contracted Coronavirus and has started isolating.