After being given the green light by the Italian government last week, Serie A clubs have begun to go back to training on Monday, May 4 as the country begins to ease lockdown restrictions following their severe coronavirus outbreak.
Players will be allowed to train individually for now, with team training scheduled to resume on May 18. Although, they must still observe social distancing guidelines during training, with only one player allowed on one half of the pitch.
Sassuolo were the first team to officially return to training, while fellow Serie A sides Roma, Napoli, and Inter Milan will follow suit in the coming days.
Ronaldo returns to Italy as Serie A training resumes
Current Serie A champions and leaders Juventus recently recalled their players currently abroad ahead of the resumption of training.
Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sami Khedira, Wojciech Szczesny and Douglas Costa were among the players who returned to their home countries to be with their families amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The players coming from abroad will have to spend 14 days in quarantine before they can begin training. Ronaldo just arrived back in Turin from his hometown of Madeira, Portugal on Monday and will begin his two-week isolation.
Ronaldo had gone to Madeira one day before Serie A was suspended to visit his mother, who had suffered a stroke. And due to Italy’s lockdown, he has spent the last two months in Madeira with his family.
The 35-year-old was having another brilliant season before the halt in play. He was racking up Serie A 2020 highlights with 21 league goals in 22 games.
Meanwhile, Juve players already in Italy will be able to resume training this week. The team has reportedly already been testing players prior to their return to training.
Juventus had three players test positive for COVID-19 — Blaise Matuidi, Paulo Dybala and Daniele Rugani — and all have since recovered.
Sports minister still noncommittal over Serie A restart
The resumption of individual training could be seen as a significant step toward the league restarting play.
However, Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has made it clear that while teams will be allowed to train by May 18, there’s still no certainty as to when or even if Serie A will resume.
“I’m reading strange things but nothing has changed compared to what I have always said about football: the teams’ training will not resume before 18 May. The resumption of the league? No way for now,” Spadafora wrote on Facebook.
Italy was among the hardest-hit countries in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, so it makes sense that they exercise caution in restarting Serie A.
They still need to make sure all the protocols are in place to protect the players and prevent another outbreak before they sign off on resuming the season.
Lazio counter sports minister’s Serie A comments
In response to Spadafora’s comments, Lazio sporting director Igli Tare contends that the government has no authority to cancel the season due to the coronavirus and that the season will just resume when it’s possible, even if it later in the calendar year.
“I heard that the order could come from the Minister of Sport this week,” Tare said to Sky Sport Italia. “But that would not be within his remit. FIFA, UEFA and FIGC have explained that the leagues must be finished within the calendar year.
“If we don’t start the league again in June, we will do it when it’s possible. I’m also talking about August and September and taking advantage of the fact that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be in December. I think finishing the season would be a great experience for the next one.”
Lazio are understandably eager to resume the season; the Biancocelesti are Juventus’ closest challengers for the title.
They suffered massive heartbreak back in 2018, but missing out on this great chance to win a third title in club history would be a much tougher pill to swallow.
Simone Inzaghi’s side are just one point behind Juventus, having gone unbeaten in the league going back to September last year. They beat Juventus twice — in the league and in the Italian Super Cup — in December last year.
But while Lazio have been in impressive form, the Serie A 2020 odds still favour the Bianconeri, who have a deeper and more talented squad. Still, SBOBET Serie A would love to see this exciting title chase continue in the near future.
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