Italy allows sports teams to resume training from May 18, lockdown to be lifted in phases

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday, April 26, stated that the government will be slowly lifting restrictions in the country and will allow professional sports to resume training from May 18. Italy has been one of the worst affected countries across the world with more than 26,000 deaths due to the novel coronavirus and more than 197,675 cases of infection.

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Sports set to resume in Italy

In an address to the nation, the Italian Prime Minister also stated that individual sports can resume training by May 4 and that the lockdown restrictions will lift in a phased manner. The move means that the Serie A league could resume playing games in June — albeit without any fans in the stadiums.

Conte further stated that starting on Monday, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora will work intensely with … the soccer system, the professional sports in general, to find a road map that the Italian government has already partly defined in terms of resumption of individual training on May 4 and teams on May 18. "Then we’ll evaluate if the conditions will allow the leagues that were suspended to be completed,” Conte added.

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Serie A has been suspended since March 9 after the government ordered a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus emergency.

Conte said, “Being a big soccer fan like so many Italians, at the start it seemed strange to me that the season could be interrupted and suspended. But obviously we found ourselves involved in this health, social and economic emergency. And I think everyone, even the most ardent fans, understood that there wasn’t any alternative.”

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Dutch FA has immediately suspended this season, whereas there have been reports that Bundesliga will resume in May as well. However, authorities in England and Spain have not given any indication regarding resuming the domestic leagues and are waiting for the situation to improve and government guidelines to chalk out details of day to day conduct of business. 

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