Italian top flight clubs say they want to finish 2019/20 season

Bosses of Italy's Serie A emerged from extensive talks with executives of the league's 20 clubs on Friday with the clear message that they want to complete the 2019/2020 season which was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lazio's last game was a home victory over Bologna on 29 February. The win kept them one point behind leaders Juventus. But the game might be the last action of the 2019/20 Serie A season. AFP/File

The top flight was halted on 9 March as the death toll was climbing to its current of 34,000.

And even though the Italian government has started to ease the country's lockdown, there has been growing pressure on organisers of the main championships to call off the 2019/20 season.

On Wednesday, the Italian sports minister,  Vincenzo Spadafora, said the chances of restarting were increasingly narrow.

Fears over financial losses

But Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation  countered his concern with the claim that termination would be the death of Italian football.

He said that the sport would suffer losses of up to 800 million euros.

In the prelude to Friday’s talks, Spadafora told RAI that the government would try to help football mitigate the losses if the season were to be cancelled.

Serie A chief, Paolo Dal Pino, said after the talks with the clubs: "I have the agreement of all clubs. I want to show my openness to a dialogue with the government from a constructive and collaborative perspective."

When play was halted, Juventus were one point ahead of Lazio with 12 games remaining. 

Tricky decisions

If the competition were to be terminated, organisers would have to decide whether to void the season or attribute the title and places in next season’s European competitions on the basis of the mid-March standings.

When France’s Ligue de Football Professionel stopped the French season on Thursday due to the coronavirus, pacesetters Paris Saint- Germain, who led Marseille by 12 points, were awarded the title.

However, seventh placed Lyon immediately raised the prospect  of a legal challenge because they were in a fight for one of the berths for next season's Europa League.

Amiens and Toulouse, who were in the relegation slots, said they would reserve the right to go to the courts.

England’s Premier League is considering a return in June while the German Bundesliga says clubs are ready for a return once the government gives the green light.

The Eredivise in the Netherlands last week became the first major European league to end the campaign.

With a four way tussle for the title, no champions were anointed. Dutch football bosses also decreed there would be no relegation from the top flight and no promotion from the second tier.