World Cup-winning former Italy coach Marcello Lippi is in support of the completion of the current Serie A season even if the remaining games would be held behind closed doors.
The suggestion is coming after games were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has had a significant effect on the sports calendar with some Serie A players infected with the dreaded virus as well.
Although the health of players is a top priority, the Italian said it should be completed behind closed doors because of economic reasons with a chunk of the money coming broadcasting rights.
Speaking with Radio Sportiva, Lippi doesn’t mind the schedule of next season being affected by the situation of things, but he would like to see then the conclusion of the championship.
While noting that should the season be completed either in May, August or September, he pointed out that this means that next season games will be more condensed.
Lippi, who had coached Inter Milan and Juventus before moving to China, admitted that playing behind closed doors is not enjoyable, but the situation of the pandemic has made it impossible to have the fans in the stadium, but games can be broadcasted for free on TV.
He was the head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande before taking over as the coach of China’s national team. Lippi resigned from the post in November.
Lippi, who had his second stint with Italy in 2010, is an ardent follower of Italian football.
In a related development, UEFA has postponed the Champions League and Europa League games till further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Serie A authority had on Wednesday met with the governing body to discuss rescheduling postponed matches and the summer transfer window.
Serie A games have been postponed since March 9, as Italy has the current highest death rate from the dreaded virus with over 5000 deaths. This has forced the country into lockdown, which is part of measures to stop the spread of the dreaded coronavirus in the country.
Meanwhile, UEFA, after a meeting with its 55 member countries, has also postponed the European qualifiers until normalcy returns. According to the body, they also intend to play the remaining club competitions in a full stadium, not behind closed doors.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
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