The decision not to postpone Tuesday’s game between Lazio and Torino could have significant ramifications on the remaining portion of the Serie A schedule, especially should other teams be hit by COVID later on, to the point that playoffs could become a concrete option if the situation spirals out of control, Repubblica reported.
President Paolo Dal Pino was in favor of rescheduling the game in advance but every team but Torino voted against such decision, preferring to have the protocol applied very strictly in order to preserve its validity. However, the Granata might not have to wait for long to have it set at another date, since the sports judge could acknowledge the force majeure in a matter of days given the precedent of the Juventus-Napoli match.
The clubs are likely to hold a meeting to rediscuss the guidelines in the near future, although they are dealing with other pressing and divisive issues like TV rights and funds. The outlet reports that there is major regret among Serie A owners for inserting a sentence in the protocol that gives final say to the local health officials.
Back in the offseason, the presidents turned down stricter rules proposed by the doctors’ association that would come in handy in these instances, such as creating a proper bubble if there was a positive case, in part because they would have been expensive.
However, the spread of the highly contagious English variant could create big issues down the line. It took 76 days to find a date for Juventus-Napoli, but there will not be so much time for the next postponements as the campaign has to end by May 23rd due to Euro 2021. Very few Serie A teams like the idea of the playoffs, also because they would reduce the TV money coming in, but there would not be many alternatives if further clubs are sidelined by COVID outbreaks.