Sandra Zampa, the undersecretary for the ministry of health, has warned that football in Italy being played in front of full stadiums is a long way away.
Football at all levels, as well as all sporting activity, has been on hold for around about a month now in Italy due to the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic and it remains completely unknown whether the season will resume but Zampa insists the resumption of the season is far from a priority during this unprecedented time where thousands have lost their lives.
“We are still in phase one. The descent is very slow, phase one will begin on May 3rd, but this does not mean returning to the life we knew,” the former vice president of the Italian democratic party remarked in an interview with Italian broadcaster RaiNews24 earlier on today.
“I think it is very difficult for the football leagues to resume but I do not see this as a priority at the moment. In any case, full stadiums will only be seen again when we are safe and that is when we have a vaccine. There will not be normal life until we have the vaccine.”
Reports from various Italian news outlets have speculated for weeks about when the season could resume and possible modifications to the format that could take place if the season does resume however the Coronavirus will ultimately determine how things play out.